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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  witii  funding  from 

University  of  Nortii  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/rodneyoverseerOOcast 


CASTLEMON'S    WAR  SERIES. 


Rodney,  the  Overseer 


BY 

HARRY   CASTLEMON, 

AUTHOR   OF    "gunboat  SERIES,"    "  ROCKY   MOUNTAIN   SERIES,' 
"  FOREST   AND   STREAM   SERIES,"    ETC.,    ETC. 


Fotir  Illustrations  by  Geo.  G.   White. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

rORTER   &   COAXES. 


COPTRIGHT,  1892, 
BT 

PORTER  &  COATES. 


CONTENTS. 


CUAPTEK  PAGE 

I.  A  Disgusted  Home  Guard,       ....  1 

II.  Captain  Tom  Smells  Po^atder,      ...  28 

III.  The  Conscript's  Friend,           ....  54 

IV.  Lieutenant  Lambert's  Campaign,        .        .  83 
V.  How  IT  Resulted, 109 

VI.  Captain  Roach  Lays  Down  the  Law,         .  136 

VII.  A  Perplexing  Situation,          ....  164 

VIII.  Hounds  on  the  Trail,         . .        .        .        .  189 

IX.  Uncle  Sam's  Lost  Boys, 216 

X.  Ned  Griffin  Brings  News,           .        .        .  242 

XI.  The  Escaped  Prisoners'  Story,       .        .        .  270 

XII.  A  Hail  at  the  Bars, 297 

XIII.  Captain  Tom  Shows  ms  Gratitude,       .        .  328 

XIV.  Rodney  Keeps  his  Promise,          .        .        .  353 
XV.  Rodney  Passes  Inspection,       ....  380 

XVI.  Captain  Randolph  Receives  Orders,         .  406 

XVII.  Conclusion, 431 


602907 


RODNET,  THE  OVERSEEE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   DISGUSTED    HOME    GUAED. 

I  DON'T  say  tliat  you  fellows  played  the 
part  of  cowards  by  firing  into  that  un- 
armed boat,  but  you  acted  like  born  idiots, 
and  it  would  serve  you  just  right  if  the  citi- 
zens of  Baton  Rouge  should  come  out  here  in 
a  body  and  lynch  the  last  one  of  you.  Why 
do  you  not  wait  for  orders  from  me  instead  of 
roaming  about  the  country  acting  on  your  own 
responsibility  ?  I  know  what  the  Confederacy 
expects  this  company  to  do  and  you  don't." 
"  Now  jest  listen  at  you,  Tom  Randolph." 
"  Yes,  listen  when  your  commanding  officer 
speaks,  and  remember  that  there  is  a  handle 
to  my  name  and  that  I  expect  you  to  use  it  as 
often  as  you  address  me." 


2  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"Well,  Cap'n  Randolph,  if  that  suits  you 
any  better  ;  though  it's  mighty  little  you  ever 
done  to  deserve  the  title.  When  this  company 
of  ourn  was  first  got  up  didn't  you  say  that 
we  was  going  to  make  all  the  Union  men  about 
here  hunt  their  holes  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  did  ;  and  I  would  have  done  it  in 
a  soldier-like  manner  if  you  had  obeyed  my 
orders,  as  you  promised  to  do  when  you  were 
sworn  into  the  service.  But  when  you  made 
up  your  minds  that  you  knew  more  than  your 
captain  and  set  out  to  have  your  own  way, 
you  got  yourselves  into  hot  water  directly,  and 
I  am  very  glad  of  it.  If  you  have  come  to 
your  senses  and  will  promise  that  from  this 
time  on  you  will  obey  my  orders  to  the  letter, 
and  quit  going  off  on  raids  unless  I  send  you, 
I  will  do  the  best  I  can  for  you  ;  but  the 
minute  you  take  the  bits  in  your  teeth,  as  you 
have  been  doing  for  the  last  few  months,  that 
minute  I  will  throw  you  over  and  the  con- 
script officer  can  take  you  and  welcome.  And 
mark  my  words,  this  is  the  last  warning  I 
shall  give  you.  The  last  one  of  you  ought  to 
be  court-martialled  and  shot." 


A  DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD.  3 

It  was  a  motley  group  of  men  and  boys, 
perhaps  a  score  of  tliem  in  all,  who  were 
gathered  at  the  foot  of  the  wide  steps  that  led 
up  to  the  front  door  of  Mr.  Randolph's  plan- 
tation house,  and  one  could  have  told  at  a 
glance  that  they  were  as  excited  and  angry  as 
was  the  young  officer  in  Confederate  uniform 
on  the  gallery  above,  who  shook  his  fists  at 
them  over  the  railing,  and  addressed  them  in 
the  imperious  language  we  have  just  recorded. 
The  most  of  the  group  were  dressed  like  sol- 
diers, and  that  was  what  they  claimed  to  be  ; 
but  whether  they  belonged  to  the  Union  or 
Confederate  army  it  would  have  been  hard  to 
tell,  for  their  clothing  was  an  odd  mixture  of 
the  uniforms  of  both.  It  would  have  been 
quite  as  hard  to  tell  whether  they  belonged  to 
the  artillery,  infantry,  or  cavalry,  for  the  dis- 
tinguishing colors  of  these  three  branches  of 
the  service  were  about  equally  represented. 
These  men  and  boys  called  themselves  Home 
Guards  ;  and  they  were  members  of  the  inde- 
pendent company  that  Tom  Randolph  and  his 
father  raised  and  equipped  after  Tom  failed 
to  get  himself  elected  second  lieutenant  of 


4  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Captain  Hubbard's  Rangers.     You  remember 
something  about  that,  do  you  not  ? 

When  the  war  excitement  was  at  its  height 
in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  Rodney  Gray,  Marcy 
Gray's  cousin,  left  the  military  academy  at 
Barrington  because  he  could  not  study  while 
others  were  going  into  the  Southern  army  and 
making  ready  to  fight  for  the  cause  in  which 
they  honestly  believed,  he  was  bound  by  a 
compact  he  had  made  with  some  other  red-hot 
rebels  in  his  class  to  enlist  within  twenty-four 
hours  after  he  reached  home  provided  he  could 
get  to  a  recruiting  office  in  that  time.  The 
uniform  he  wore  at  school  was  gray,  and  so 
was  the  one  adopted  by  those  who  were  de- 
termined to  break  up  the  government  because 
they  could  no  longer  do  as  they  pleased  Avith 
it ;  and  impulsive  Rodney  Gray,  carried  away 
by  the  excitement  of  the  hour,  declared  that 
he  would  not  wear  any  other  color  until  the 
South  had  gained  her  independence.  He  found 
it  easy  to  keep  the  first  part  of  his  promise, 
for  it  so  happened  that  he  came  home  in  time 
to  join  an  independent  company  of  cavalry 
that  was  being  raised  in  his  immediate  neigh- 


A  DISGUSTED   HOME   GIJAED.  0 

borliood,  and  which  was  intended  to  be  so  very 
select  that  no  applicant  could  get  into  the  com- 
pany if  a  single  member  of  it  objected  to  him. 
Among  the  x^rominent  citizens  of  Mooreville 
who  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  organization 
(they  all  claimed  Mooreville  as  their  home, 
although  some  of  them  lived  from  three  to  a 
dozen  miles  outside  of  it),  and  used  both  money 
and  influence  to  help  it  along,  was  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph, Tom's  father.  If  any  young  fellow  who 
stood  well  in  the  community  hesitated  to  send 
in  his  name  because  he  could  not  raise  money 
enough  to  buy  a  horse  and  fit  himself  out  as 
well  as  the  other  Rangers  were  fitted  out,  Mr. 
RandoliDh  was  prompt  to  come  to  his  aid  with 
the  assurance  that  if  he  would  go  ahead  and 
enlist,  money  need  not  stand  in  his  way,  for  the 
horse,  uniform,  weapons,  and  all  other  neces- 
sary things  would  be  forthcoming.  He  scoured 
the  country  for  miles  around  for  recruits,  and 
did  so  much  in  other  ways  to  aid  the  company 
that  when  the  Rangers  made  their  first  camp, 
and  hoisted  above  it  the  flag  under  which  they 
hoped  to  ride  to  victory,  they  named  it  Camp 
Randolph. 


6  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

This  gentleman  was  so  rabid  a  Secessionist 
that  he  was  utterly  unreasonable.  In  fact,  some 
of  his  warmest  friends  declared  that  he  was 
about  half  crazy.  He  had  no  clearer  concep- 
tion of  the  sufferings  and  trials  that  he  and 
those  who  believed  as  he  did  were  bringing 
upon  the  people  of  the  South  than  the  most 
ignorant  negro  on  his  plantations.  The  men  of 
the  North  belonged  to  an  inferior  race  and  did 
not  know  how  to  fight.  They  were  going  to  be 
whipped  without  any  trouble  at  all,  and  when 
the  Southern  troops  had  covered  themselves 
with  glory  by  taking  and  holding  Washington, 
while  Jefferson  Davis  dictated  terms  of  peace 
to  the  Lincoln  hirelings,  he  wanted  all  the 
Mooreville  boys  there  to  witness  the  grand  and 
imposing  spectacle,  and  that  was  why  he  urged 
them  to  enlist.  That  was  about  what  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph said,  and  no  doubt  he  was  honest  with 
himself  as  well  as  with  the  recruits  he  brought 
into  Captain  Hubbard's  company  ;  but  events 
proved  that  he  had  another  object  in  view  and 
one  that  he  did  not  think  it  best  to  speak  of. 

Tom  Randolph,  who  was  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  was  as  conceited  an  ignoramus  as  there 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME  GUARD.  7 

was  in  that  part  of  Louisiana  ;  but  lie  had  an 
idea  that  he  was  very  bright,  and  capable  of 
filling  any  office  he  could  get.  At  first  he  de- 
clared his  intention  of  going  to  the  front  as 
captain  of  the  Rangers.  It  would  be  no  more 
than  right  that  he  should  have  the  highest 
place  in  return  for  what  his  father  had  done 
for  the  company  ;  but  when  Mr.  Randolph  told 
him  that  that  would  be  aiming  a  little  too  high, 
that  Bob  Hubbard,  who  had  really  done  more 
hard  work  for  the  company  than  anybody  else, 
w6feld  certainly  be  chosen  captain,  and  that  it 
would  look  better  and  be  better  if  Tom  would 
accept  something  a  little  lower  down  and  work 
his  way  up,  the  young  man  decided  that  he 
would  be  a  candidate  for  the  second  lieuten- 
ant's place.  He  was  sure  he  would  get  it  and 
so  was  his  father  ;  but  he  didn't.  Although 
the  Rangers  did  not  know  anything  about  sol- 
diering, they  did  know  what  sort  of  men  they 
wanted  for  officers,  and  Tom  received  but 
twelve  votes  out  of  sixty-five — his  own  and 
those  of  the  eleven  recruits  his  father  had 
brought  into  the  company.  Then  there  was 
trouble  in  the  camp,  and  if  Tom  and  his  father 


8  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

had  possessed  the  physical  power  they  would 
have  thrashed  every  Ranger  in  it.  But  there 
was  one  thing  about  it :  if  they  could  not  have 
a  voice  in  the  management  of  the  company  they 
Avould  not  only  cease  to  support  it,  but  would 
do  their  best  to  break  it  up  ;  and  Tom  acted 
upon  this  rule  or  ruin  jjolicy  by  Avithdrawing 
from  the  ranks  almost  as  soon  as  the  result  of 
the  ballot  was  announced,  his  example  being 
followed  by  the  eleven  recruits  who  had  voted 
for  him. 

"Now  let's  see  how  they  will  get  on  AA^jth 
their  Partisan  Rangers,"  Tom  said  to  his 
father  that  night.  "  There's  almost  too  much 
social  equality  in  that  company  anyway  to 
suit  me.  I  have  noticed  it  ever  since  I  have 
been  in  it.  AVho  is  their  second  lieutenant, 
the  man  they  shoved  into  my  place  ?  A  com- 
mon book-keeper  who  never  in  his  life  had  the 
price  of  a  pickaninny  in  his  pocket." 

Tom  hoped  and  believed  that  by  withdraw- 
ing fronj  the  company  he  had  inflicted  a  blow 
npon  it  from  which  it  would  never  recover ; 
but  to  liig  surprise  and  disgust  the  Rangers 
went  ahead  with  their  plans  as  if  nothing  had 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD.  9 

happened.  Rodney  Gray,  the  only  member  of 
the  organization  who  knew  anything  about 
military  matters,  was  made  first  duty  sergeant 
and  drill-master ;  and  under  his  skilful  man- 
agement the  Rangers  changed  so  rapidly  froin 
awkward  greenhorns  to  soldiers,  and  became 
so  proficient  in  the  school  of  the  companj^, 
that  the  deserters,  with  the  single  exception 
of  Tom  Randolph  himself,  began  to  repent 
their  hasty  action,  and  ask  one  another  what 
they  could  do  to  induce  the  Rangers  to  take 
them  back  again.  They  knew  they  could  not 
look  to  Mr.  Randolph  for  an  outfit,  for  he  took 
Tom's  defeat  as  a  deliberate  insult  to  his 
family,  and  instead  of  promoting  enlistments 
in  the  company  was  doing  all  he  could  to  stop 
them.  The  only  one  they  could  turn  to  for 
help  was  Rodney  Gray's  father — a  man  who 
had  said  and  done  nothing  of  consequence  to 
show  that  he  was  in  favor  of  partisan  organiza- 
tions, and  who  was  looked  upon  with  suspicion 
by  his  neighbors  because  he  put  no  faith  in 
the  final  success  of  the  secession  movement, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  South 
would  be  whipped  as  she  deserved  to  be  for 


10  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

trying  to  break  up  the  government.  There 
were  thousands  of  wealthy  and  influential  men 
in  Louisiana  who  believed  as  he  did  ;  and  yet 
they  did  more  to  help  the  soldiers  than  the 
blatant  rebels  who  were  fierce  for  a  fight  at 
the  beginning,  but  went  over  to  the  Federals  at 
the  first  opportunity,  and  became  "spies  and 
informers  for  the  sake  of  the  loaves  and  fishes 
that  fell  into  their  hands."  The  sequel  proved 
that  the  recruits  went  to  the  right  man,  for  six 
of  the  eleven  were  fitted  out  at  Mr.  Gray's  ex- 
pense. And  he  did  not  boast  of  it  either,  as 
Mr.  Randolph  and  Tom  had  done. 

Captain  Hubbard's  Rangers,  as  the  company 
was  always  called,  got  on  very  well  until  they 
began  looking  around  for  someone  to  swear 
them  into  the  service  and  order  them  to  the 
front,  and  then  the  trouble  began.  They  first 
applied  to  the  commanding  officer  at  New  Or- 
leans ;  but  he  declined  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  them  unless  they  would  give  up  their  in- 
dependent organization,  and  that  was  some- 
thing the  Rangers  were  determined  they  would 
not  do  to  please  anybody.  They  formed  their 
company  in  the  first  place  because  they  were 


A  DISGUSTED   HOME  GUARD.  11 

led  to  believe  that  the  Richmond  government 
was  in  full  sympathy  with  such  organizations, 
which  would  be  allowed  full  liberty  of  action 
when  sworn  into  the  service  of  the  State  ;  but 
such  would  by  no  means  be  the  case  if  they 
permitted  themselves  to  be  sworn  into  the 
service  of  the  Confederacy.  As  one  of  the 
Rangers  expressed  it :  "If  they  were  going  to 
give  their  liberty  up  to  a  new  government 
they  might  as  well  have  stayed  under  the 
old." 

Tom  Randolph  was  delighted  when  he  heard 
of  this  state  of  affairs,  and  the  Rangers  them- 
selves were  much  depressed  ;  but  Rodney  Gray 
was  sure  he  saw  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty 
when  he  received  a  letter  from  his  old  school- 
mate and  chum,  Dick  Graham,  who  lived  in 
Missouri.  In  that  letter  Dick  said  he  be- 
longed to  an  organization  of  partisans  who 
were  known  as  State  Guards.  Their  immediate 
commander  was  General  Price,  but  they  were 
required  to  take  oath  to  obey  Governor 
Jackson  and  nobody  else.  In  plain  English 
this  meant  that  while  the  State  Guards  were 
willing  to  look  out  for  the  secession  movement 


12  RODNEY,  THE   OVEKSEER. 

in  Missouri  and  keep  all  Yankee  invaders  off 
her  soil,  they  did  not  intend  to  go  into  any 
other  State  unless  they  felt  like  it,  or  permit 
the  Richmond  authorities  to  control  their 
movements  in  any  way.  That  was  exactly  the 
kind  of  partisans  tliat  Captain  Hubbard  and 
his  men  wanted  to  be  ;  and  when  Rodney 
Gray  said  tliat  if  the  Governor  of  their  own 
State  would  not  accept  them  as  a  company, 
they  had  a  perfect  right  to  offer  themselves  to 
the  Governor  of  another,  and  that  it  might  be 
a  good  plan  to  ask  General  Price  if  he  would 
take  the  Rangers  just  as  they  were,  Captain 
Hubbard  was  glad  to  act  upon  the  suggestion. 
So,  without  delay,  a  telegram  was  sent  to 
Dick  Graham's  father  in  St.  Louis,  and  in  due 
time  the  answer  came  back : 

Price  will  accept.  Company  officers  and  independent 
organization  to  remain  the  same. 

To  quote  from  Rodney,  this  brought  the 
matter  squarely  home  to  the  Rangers,  who 
were  compelled  to  decide  wpon  some  course  of 
action  without  loss  of  time.  A  business  meet- 
ing of  the  company  (and  a  stormy  one  it  turned 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUATID.  13 

out  to  be)  was  held  that  very  day  ;  and 
although  Captain  Hubbard  and  Rodney  car- 
ried their  point,  it  was  only  by  a  small 
majority  of  votes  that  the  Rangers  consented 
to  leave  their  own  State  and  go  into  the  service 
of  another. 

Believing  it  to  be  a  good  plan  to  strike  while 
the  iron  was  hot,  Captain  Hubbard  and  one  of 
his  officers  at  once  set  out  for  New  Orleans  to 
find  a  boat  that  would  take  the  company  to 
Little  Rock  ;  but  in  the  meantime  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Louisiana  got  wind  of  the  affair 
through  spies  in  the  telegraph  office  in  Moore- 
ville,  and  tried  to  upset  the  designs  of  the 
Rangers  by  having  them  sworn  in  by  General 
Lacey,  who  was  a  Confederate  officer.  He 
would  have  succeeded  too  had  it  not  been 
for  quick-witted  Rodney  Gray,  who  cautioned 
his  comrades  not  to  answer  to  their  names 
when  the  roll  was  called.  He  did  more. 
When  his  own  name  was  called  he  rode  to 
the  front  and  centre  and  surprised  and  an- 
gered the  general,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican 
War,  who  had  never  learned  to  recognize  any 
ororanizations  outside  of   those   mentioned  in 


14  IIODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

the  Army  Regulations,  by  stating  that  the 
company  was  an  independent  one  whose  mem- 
bers, while  willing  and  eager  to  be  sworn  into 
the  service  of  their  State,  did  not  desire  to 
enter  the  service  of  the  Confederate  States. 
They  enlisted  as  partisans,  and  partisans 
they  wished  to  remain.  Upon  hearing  this 
the  veteran  was  astounded.  He  declared,  by 
the  shade  of  the  great  and  good  Washington, 
that  he  did  not  know  what  the  country  was 
coming  to,  flung  the  roll-book  on  the  ground 
at  the  feet  of  Rodney's  horse,  and  rode  away 
in  a  huff ;  and  that  was  the  last  of  Captain 
Hubbard's  Rangers,  They  broke  ranks  then 
and  there  and  never  held  a  company  meeting 
afterward. 

The  next  morning  Rodney  Gray,  who  was 
determined  to  be  a  partisan  and  nothing  else, 
started  for  Missouri  with  no  companion  but  his 
horse,  and  eventually  succeeded  in  finding  his 
friend  Graham  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  that 
were  made,  both  by  Union  men  and  rebels,  to 
stop  him.  Of  course  Tom  Randolph  was  happy 
over  the  way  things  had  turned  out,  and  one 
would  think  he  ought  to  have  been  satisfied  ; 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD.  15 

but  he  was  not.  Every  one  of  the  Rangers  who 
voted  against  him  when  he  ran  for  second  lieu- 
tenant made  an  enemy  of  Tom,  and  he  showed 
it  as  often  as  the  opportunity  was  presented. 
He  felt  particularly  spiteful  toward  Rodney 
Gray,  whose  services  as  drill-master  had  been 
publicly  acknowledged  by  the  gift  of  an  elegant 
sword  from  the  company,  and  he  began  perse- 
cuting him  the  moment  he  learned  that  Rodney 
had  decided  to  leave  the  State  and  go  to  Mis- 
souri. With  the  aid  of  a  friend  of  his,  Drum- 
mond  by  name,  who  had  charge  of  the  tele- 
graph office  in  Mooreville,  he  paved  the  way 
for  Rodney's  arrest  in  St.  Louis  by  sending  a 
description  of  him  and  his  horse  to  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph's agent,  a  Yankee  cotton  factor,  who 
lived  in  that  city  ;  but  this  scheme,  which 
might  have  brought  Rodney's  soldiering  to  an 
end  before  it  was  fairly  began,  was  frustrated 
by  a  "student"  in  Drummond's  office  whose 
name  was  Griffin,  and  who  went  all  the  way  to 
Baton  Rouge  by  night  to  warn  Rodney  of  the 
plots  that  had  been  laid  against  him.  Acting 
on  his  friendly  hints  Rodney  did  not  go  to  St. 
Louis  as  he  had  intended,  but  left  the  boat  at 


16  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Cedar  Bluff  Landing  in  Missouri ;  and  from 
there,  after  some  exciting  experiences  with  a 
squad  of  emergency  men  who  happened  to 
come  in  with  a  prisoner  during  the  night,  he 
set  off  across  the  country  to  find  General  Price 
and  Dick  Graham. 

He  had  undertaken  something  from  which 
the  boldest  man  might  have  shrunk  without 
any  fear  of  being  accused  of  timidity ;  but  he 
came  through  with  flying  colors  as  we  have 
said,  did  a  soldier's  duty  side  by  side  with  his 
friend  Dick  for  fifteen  dreary  months,  was  dis- 
charged with  him  at  Tupelo  after  the  evacu- 
ation of  Corinth,  and  brought  Dick  home  with 
him  to  his  father's  house  at  Mooreville,  where 
they  were  both  resting  at  the  time  this  story 
begins.  Even  after  they  were  discharged,  and 
had  begun  telling  each  other  that  their  troubles 
and  trials  as  soldiers  were  all  over,  they  met 
with  an  adventure  that  under  almost  any  other 
circumstances  might  have  proved  a  serious 
thing  for  them.  Shortly  after  they  left  Camp 
Pinckney  on  their  way  home,  they  ran  into  a 
squad  of  Union  troopers,  who  covered  them  with 
their  carbines  and  told  them  to  come  in  out  of 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD,  17 

the  rain.  They  were  jDrisoners  for  the  first 
time,  but  did  not  remain  so  any  longer  than 
it  took  their  captors  to  read  their  discharges. 
The  boys'  hearts  overflowed  with  gratitude 
when  the  good-natured  corporal  who  com- 
manded the  squad  jerked  his  thumb  over  his 
shoulder  and  told  them  to  "  git,"  and  Kodney 
hinted  that  tlie  time  might  come  when  they 
could  repay  his  kindness.  Strange  as  it  may 
appear  the  time  did  come,  and  perhaps  we 
shall  see  if  Rodney  remembered  and  kept  his 
promise. 

Rodney  Grray  was  the  only  one  of  Captain 
Hubbard's  Rangers  who  became  a  partisan. 
The  Governor's  attempt  to  have  them  sworn 
into  the  Confederate  service  against  their  will 
broke  them  up  completely,  and  so  disgusted 
some  of  their  number  that  they  declared  they 
never  wanted  to  see  a  man  with  a  star  on  his 
collar  again  ;  but  they  could  not  remain  at 
home  while  all  their  friends  were  making  haste 
to  go  to  the  front  for  fear  that  the  fun  Avould 
all  be  over  and  the  Yankees  whipped  before 
they  could  get  there,  and  in  the  end  every  one 
of  them  became  what  he  repeatedly  declared 


18  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

he  never  would  be — a  Confederate  soldier. 
Then  it  was  that  Tom  Randolph  and  his  father 
began  to  bestir  themselves.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  every 
young  man  and  boy  in  the  South  about  that 
time,  and  those  who  would  not  put  on  a  gray 
jacket  or  do  something  else  to  show  their  zeal 
for  the  cause  were  coldly  treated  and  some- 
times snubbed  ;  but  Tom  Randolph  escaped  all 
this,  and  even  raised  himself  higher  in  the  esti- 
mation of  some  of  the  Mooreville  people  by 
procuring,  through  his  father's  influence,  a 
captain's  commission  in  the  State  militia,  with 
authority  to  recruit  a  company  of  mounted 
men  who  were  to  act  as  Home  Guards.  Tom 
knew  the  commission  was  coming  and  prepared 
for  it  by  ordering  a  fine  uniform  and  horse 
equipments  of  the  latest  "and  most  exj)ensive 
pattern,  not  forgetting  an  officer's  sword  Avhich 
on  its  scabbard  bore  an  inscription  to  the  effect 
that  the  weapon  was  presented  by  his  affec- 
tionate relatives,  and  on  the  blade  the  old 
Spanish  legend : 

Draw  me  not  without  a  cause, 
Nor  sheath  me  with  dishonor. 


A   DISGUSTED  HOME   GUAED.  19 

"That  is  a  good  motto,  my  son,"  said  Mr. 
Randolph,  when  Tom  drew  the  weapon  and 
proudly  showed  it  as  though  his  father  had 
never  seen  it  before,  "and  I  trust  you  will 
bear  it  constantly  in  mind." 

"The  cause  of  the  South  is  a  righteous  cause, 
for  it  is  the  cause  of  freedom  the  world  over," 
shouted  Captain  Randolph,  pounding  the  table 
with  his  fist  and  ignoring  the  fact  that  his  father 
held  more  than  four  hundred  men,  women,  and 
children  in  bondage  at  that  moment.  "To 
cease  fighting  for  that  cause  at  the  bidding  of 
the  tyrant  Lincoln  would  be  dishonor  ;  and 
the  stain  upon  our  record  as  a  nation  would 
be  so  deep  and  black  that  it  never  could  be 
wiped  out.  When  once  I  have  drawn  this 
beautiful  sword  in  defence  of  the  riglits  of 
my  country,  it  shall  never  be  sheathed  until 
every  Yankee  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line  has  been  driven  back  where  he  be- 
longs." 

The  eloquent  soldier  pounded  the  table  with 
his  fist ;  everyone  in  the  room,  negro  servants 
and  all,  applauded ;  and  one  of  the  latter  ven- 
tured to  say,  in  tones  that  of  course  were  not 


20  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

intended  to  reach  the  officer's  ears  :  "Say,  you 
niggahs  !  What' 11  you  bet  dem  Yankees  don' t 
run  fit  to  kill  derselves  when  dey  see  Mass' 
Tom  comin'  ?"  As  to  Tom,  he  smiled  com- 
placently and  said  to  himself:  "That  was  a 
better  speech  than  Rodney  Gray  delivered 
when  those  Rangers  gave  him  that  frog-sticker 
of  his." 

•  Knowing  Rodney  Gray  and  Dick  Graham 
as  well  as  you  ought  to  know  them  by  this 
time,  what  do  you  think  they  would  have 
thought  if  they  had  been  in  that  room  and 
listened  to  Tom's  words?  Before  twenty 
minutes  had  passed  away  he  appeared  upon 
the  streets  of  Mooreville  in  the  full  glory 
of  his  captain's  suit  and  with  his  horse 
duly  caparisoned ;  but  having  no  company 
to  command  he  prudently  left  his  sword  at 
home. 

It  was  Tom's  wish  and  his  father's  to  bring 
the  strength  of  the  company  up  to  a  hundred 
men ;  but  Tom  found  it  harder  work  to  raise  a 
small  fraction  of  that  number  than  it  was  to 
get  his  commission  from  the  Governor.  Everj-- 
one  who  presented  himself  was  accepted,  and 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD.  21 

tliat  too  without  reference  to  his  social  stand- 
ing or  his  ability  to  pass  the  surgeon  ;  and 
when  all  other  expedients  to  promote  enlist- 
ments had  been  tried,  Mr.  Randolph  came  to 
the  front,  as  he  had  done  in  the  case  of  the 
Rangers,,  with  the  offer  to  arm  and  equip  all 
recruits  who  could  not  furnish  their  own  out- 
fit. This  helped  matters  along  amazingly  ; 
and  when  fifty  men  liad  been  enrolled  Cap- 
tain Randolph  ordered  them  to  appear  in  one 
of  his  father's  fields  on  a  certain  afternoon, 
armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  directed, 
for  "company  inspection."  No  one  knew 
just  what  the  order  meant,  but  the  men  were 
all  in  the  field  at  the  appointed  time  ;  and 
when  Tom  came  to  look  at  them  as  they  sat 
in  their  saddles  facing  him,  after  making  an 
awkward  and  ineffectual  effort  to  fall  in  line, 
he  was  disgusted  with  tliem  and  with  himself 
too.  Until  that  moment  he  had  no  idea  that 
he  had  been  enrolling  so  unpromising  a  body 
of  men.  Men  !  They  looked  more  like  lazy 
vagabonds,  as  indeed  the  most  of  them  were. 
Rodney  Gray  himself  could  not  have  made 
soldiers  of  them.     The  next  half  hour  was  an 


22  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

ordeal  that  Captain  Tom  never  wanted  to  pass 
through  again  ;  but  we  will  let  him  describe  it 
in  his  own  way, 

"They  were  the  worst  looking  fellows  I 
think  I  ever  saw,"  Tom  told  his  father  and 
mother  when  he  reached  home  after  the  "in- 
spection" was  over.  "I  brought  them  to- 
gether because  I  wanted  to  see  how  they 
looked,  and  how  I  would  look  riding  at  their 
head  ;  and  to  tell  the  honest  truth,  if  a  stranger 
had  come  into  that  field  when  they  first  tried 
to  draw  themselves  up  in  line  I  believe  I 
should  have  put  spurs  to  my  horse  and 
galloped  away  rather  than  be  seen  in  their 
company." 

"Why,  what  was  the  matter  with  them  ? " 
inquired  his  mother,  who  took  as  deep  an  in- 
terest in  the  organization  as  Tom  himself,  and 
was  anxious  tliat  it  should  win  a  name  for  him 
after  the  rebuff  he  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  Captain  Hubbard's  Rangers.  "  You  knew 
they  were  not  gentlemen  when  you  asked 
them  to  give  in  their  names.  There  are  few  of 
that  sort  left  in  the  country,  more's  the  pity." 

"I  know  that;   but  I  hoped   they   might 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME   GUAKD.  23 

have  pride  enoiigli  to  make  a  half- way  respect- 
able appearance  at  inspection,"  answered  Cap- 
tain Tom.  "  In  the  first  place,  no  two  of  them 
were  mounted,  armed,  or  dressed  alike.  In 
the  next,  they  came  just  as  they  had  been  at 
work  in  the  field  in  the  forenoon,  and  I  don't 
believe  that  half  of  them  had  taken  the  trouble 
to  wash  their  faces  or  comb  their  hair." 

"  They  looked  just  as  we  see  them  on  the 
streets  every  day,  I  suppose,"  said  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph. 

"  Just- the  same,  only  worse,"  rej)lied  Tom, 
who  was  almost  mad  enough  to  cry  every  time 
he  thought  of  it.  "  Here  was  a  man  mounted  on 
the  heaviest  kind  of  a  plough  horse  and  carry- 
ing a  long  squirrel  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  and 
beside  him  was  one  on  a  little  runt  of  a  mule 
and  armed  with  a  heavy  double-barrel  deer- 
killer.  Not  a  few  of  them  had  chicken  or 
turkey  feathers  stuck  in  their  slouch  hats  for 
plumes,  and  some  had  pipes  in  their  mouths  ; 
and  when  I  said  that  no  smoking  would  be 
allowed  in  the  ranks,  they  did  not  hesitate 
to  tell  me  that  I  need  not  think  I  could  boss 
them  around  as  Rodney  Gray  had  bossed  the 


24  KOD]^ET,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Rangers  while  lie  was  acting  as  their  drill- 
master,  for  that  was  something-  they  would 
not  submit  to." 

"Why  the — the  impudence!"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Randolph  ;  while  her  husband  looked 
down  at  the  floor  and  told  himself  that  that 
was  about  what  might  have  been  expected 
of  such  men  as  he  and  Tom  had  been  able  to 
bring  into  the  Home  Guards. 

"Thafs  the  kind  of  soldiers  they  are,"  con- 
tinued Captain  Tom.  "  They  knov/  I  haven't 
the  power  to  enforce  my  commands,  and  so 
they  intend  to  do  pretty  near  as  they  please. 
The  only  reason  they  joined  was  because  they 
wanted  an  excuse  for  keeping  out  of  the  army, 
and  get  the  horses  and  weapons  that  were 
l)romised  them." 

"And  food,"  added  Mrs.  Randolph. 

"Food!"  exclaimed  her  husband.  "I 
didn't  promise  them  any  food  except  in  case 
they  were  ordered  to  some  other  jjart  of  the 
State,  and  then  I  said  I  would  look  out  for  the 
families  of  those  who  were  too  poor  to  make 
provision  for  them." 

"Well,  a  rough  looking  fellow  who  said  he 


A    DISGUSTED   HOME   GUARD.  25 

was  a  member  of  the  company  came  to  the 
kitchen  yesterday  and  asked  for  some  bacon 
on  the  strength  of  that  promise,  and  I  gave  it 
to  him,"  said  Mrs.  Randolph, 

"  I'll  bet  he  p)layed  a  game  on  you,"  said 
Captain  Tom. 

"  That's  a  pretty  state  of  affairs  ! "  exclaimed 
the  father,  profoundly  astonished.  "Don't 
give  another  mouthful  to  him  or  anybody  else 
on  the  strength  of  promises  I  made  to  that 
company.  As  long  as  they  stay  about  here 
they  will  earn  their  own  food  or  go  hungry." 

"  That's  tlie  kind  of  soldiers  they  are,"  re- 
peated Tom.  "They  enlisted  because  they 
are  afraid  to  go  into  the  army  and  too  lazy 
to  work,  and  not  because  they  care  a  picayune 
for  the  Confederacy.  And  after  I  had  brought 
them  in  line  as  well  as  I  could,  and  told  one 
man  to  take  his  pants  out  of  his  boots  and  be 
sure  that  those  boots  were  blacked  the  next 
time  he  came  out  to  inspection,  and  ordered 
another  to  put  his  hat  on  straight  and  quit 
carrying  his  gun  flat  on  his  shoulder  as  he 
would  if  he  were  hog  hunting  in  the  woods, 
they  made  up  their  minds  that  they  would 


26  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEK. 

elect  officers.  When  I  told  tliem  that  I  hadn't 
brought  them  together  for  any  such  purpose, 
and  that  we  would  postpone  the  matter  until 
the  company  had  been  brought  up  to  its  full 
strength,  they  didn't  pay  the  least  attention 
to  me." 

"It's  a  rabble — a  mob  and  nothing  else," 
cried  Mrs.  Randolph,  who  looked  as  angry  as 
her  son  felt.  "  It  is  the  one  wish  of  my  heart 
to  see  you  take  a  proud  position  among  the 
noble  defenders  of  your  country,  but  you  will 
never  have  anything  more  to  do  with  those 
ruffians  with  my  consent.  Whom  did  they 
choose  for  officers  ?" 

Tom  mentioned  the  names  of  two  of  the 
meanest  men  in  the  country  for  miles  around, 
and  his  angry  mother  continued  : 

"  A  common  overseer  and  an  acknowledged 
chicken  and  hog  thief  !  My  son,  you  must  not 
appear  again  in  the  company  of  those  men." 

"I  don't  intend  to,"  replied  Tom,  jumping 
to  his  feet  and  striding  up  and  down  the  room. 
"  Although  I  despise  every  man  in  Captain 
Hubbard's  company,  and  have  ever  since  they 
defeated  me  for  the  second  lieutenancy,  I  must 


A   DISGUSTED   HOME  GUAKD.  27 

acknowledge  that  tliey  were  a  fine  looking 
body  of  men,  and  I  somehow  got  it  into  my 
head  that  my  Home  Guards  would  look  and 
act  just  like  them  ;  but  they  don't,  and  I  am 
so  disappointed  that  I  don't  see  how  I  can 
ever  get  over  it.  I'll  hold  fast  to  my  com- 
mission and  rank,  but  I'll  have  nothing  more 
to  do  with  that  company  of  Home  Guards." 

Slowly  and  sadly  Captain  Tom  ascended  to 
his  room,  where  he  took  off  his  fine  uniform 
and  arrayed  himself  in  the  citizen's  suit  he 
had  vowed  never  to  put  on  again  until  he 
had  helped  the  South  gain  her  independence. 
Then  he  put  his  handsome  sword  into  its  cloth 
case,  stood  it  up  in  the  darkest  corner  of  his 
closet,  and  closed  the  door.  He  felt  like  a 
monarch  who  had  lost  his  crown. 


CHAPTER  IL 

CAPTAIN   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER. 

FOR  a  long  time  Captain  Randolpli  re- 
mained firm  in  liis  resolution  to  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  the  Home  Guards. 
Although  he  did  not  formally  throw  wp  his 
command  of  the  company  he  kept  away  from  it 
as  much  as  he  could,  and  never  ordered  it  to  ap- 
pear for  drills  and  inspections  ;  but  by  sodoing 
he  did  not  by  any  means  escape  being  taken  to 
task  for  the  lawless  acts  of  which  his  men  were 
guilty.  The  company  well  deserved  the  name 
that  Mrs.  Randolph  had  api3lied  to  it,  and  one 
could  not  reasonably  expect  that  they  would 
conduct  themselves  as  the  high-toned  Moore- 
ville  Rangers  would  have  done  under  the  same 
circumstances.  It  had  never  occurred  to  them 
to  inquire  what  their  duties  would  be  when 
they  were  sworn  into  the  service  of  the  State, 
and  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  their  captain 
could  have  enlightened  them  on  that  point ; 


CAPTAIN   TOM    SMELLS   POWDER.  29 

but  in  tlieir  ignorance  they  took  it  for  grunted 
that  they  had  been  given  liberty  to  do  as  they 
pleased,  and  acting  under  the  leadership  of 
tlieir  Lieutenants,  Lambert,  the  overseer,  and 
Moseley,  the  chicken  and  hog  thief,  they  very 
soon  made  themselves  known  to  and  feared 
and  hated  by  the  citizens  for  miles  around. 
Tom  heard  of  their  exploits  now  and  then, 
and  although  he  stamped  his  feet  and  shook 
his  clenched  hands  in  the  air,  he  did  nothing  to 
show  his  authority.  At  last  things  came  to 
such  a  pass  that  Captain  Tom,  to  quote  from 
Rodney's  friend  Griffin,  who  Avas  closely 
watching  the  movements  of  the  Home  Guards, 
"  had  to  fish  or  cut  bait." 

Bright  and  early  one  morning  a  couple  of 
angry  planters  galloped  furiously  into  Mr, 
Randolph's  front  yard,  threw  themselves  from 
their  horses,  leaving  the  animals  to  tramp 
down  the  flower  beds  or  stand  still  as  they 
pleased,  entered  the  house  without  knocking, 
and  made  their  way  through  the  hall  into  the 
dining  room,  where  the  family  sat  at  breakfast. 
Without  giving  anybody  time  to  express  sur- 
prise at  their  abrupt  entrance  or  to  inquire 


30  RODNEr,  THE   OVERSEER. 

into  the  nature  of  tlieir  business,  they  stalked 
around  the  table  to  the  chair  in  which  Tom 
was  sitting  and  shook  their  fists  in  his  face 
pretty  close  to  his  nose. 

"  Look-a-here,  young  feller,"  said  the  one 
whose  rage  would  permit  him  to  speak  first, 
"  what  do  you  mean  by  sending  them  vaga- 
bonds of  yourn,  them  Home  Guards,  into 
gentlemen's  houses  to  turn  things  up  topsy- 
turvy?" 

The  men  looked  so  dangerous  that  Captain 
Tom  turned  white  with  alarm,  but  could  not 
utter  a  word.  He  understood  the  charge  and 
knew  he  was  innocent,  but  he  could  not  say 
so. 

"  When  that  company  of  yourn  was  first  got 
together  you  took  pains  to  spread  it  around 
that  you  were  going  to  use  them  to  clean  out 
the  Union  men,"  the  planter  almost  shouted. 
"That  was  all  right  and  I  didn't  have  a  word 
to  say  against  it,  for  I  thought  they  oughter 
be  driven  out ;  but  why  don' t  you  confine  your- 
selves to  searching  the  houses  of  Union  men, 
and  let  good  and  loyal  Confederates  like  me 
and  my  neighbor  alone  ?    We  are  as  strong  for 


CAPTAIN  TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  31 

the  South  and  as  ready  to  fight  for  her  as  you 
are  ;  and  I  tell  you  once  for  all '' 

By  this  time  Tom's  father  and  mother  had 
recovered  themselves  in  some  measure,  but 
Tom  himself  was  still  so  frightened  that  he 
could  not  speak.  The  former  arose  and 
placed  chairs  for  the  qisitors,  and  Mrs.  Ran- 
dolph told  the  girl  to  lay  plates  for  them,  add- 
ing that  if  they  would  sit  down  and  tell  their 
story  while  drinking  a  cup  of  coffee,  she  was 
sure  her  son  could  clear  himself  of  the  serious 
accusations  they  had  brought  against  him. 
If  their  houses  had  been  raided  by  the  Home 
Guards  they  might  rest  assured  that  a  Ran- 
dolph was  in  no  way  to  blame  for  it.  This 
calmed  the  storm  and  made  the  visitors  look 
as  though  they  felt  a  little  ashamed  of  them- 
selves ;  but  they  sat  down  and  told  their 
story. 

"  It  seems  that  that  man  Lambert,  who 
always  was  too  lazy  and  trifling  to  earn  an 
honest  living,  has  give  up  his  situation  as  over- 
seer on  Miss  Randall's  place,  and  took  to  raid- 
ing through  the  country  on  his  own  hook," 
said  the  planter  who  had  thus  far  done  all  the 


32  EODNET,  THE   OVERSEER. 

talking.  "  We  have  heard  of  him  a  time  or 
two,  but  so  long  as  he  stole  from  Union  men 
and  pestered  them  it  was  all  right ;  but  last 
night  he  jumped  down  on  me  and  Boswell,  and 
that  is  a  little  more  than  we  can  stand." 

"I  don't  see  what  made  him  do  that,"  ex- 
claimed Tom,  who  had  by  this  time  found  his 
tongue.  "  He  knows  you  are  good  Confeder- 
ates." 

"  Of  course  he  knows  it,  and  when  we  re- 
minded him  of  it  he  didn't  try  to  deny  it ; 
but  he  allowed  we  had  guns  in  the  house,  and 
that  them  dangerous  things  couldn't  be  per- 
mitted to  stay  in  the  country  except  in  the 
hands  of  soldiers.  So  he  came  to  our  houses 
and  searched  them  ;  and  as  he  had  about  a 
dozen  men  in  his  gang  we  couldn'  t  liel^D  our- 
selves." 

"As  sure  as  I  live  I  never  gave  him  orders 
to  search  anybody's  premises,"  declared  Tom. 

"I  don't  reckon  you  ever  gave  him  much 
orders  of  any  sort,"  replied  the  planter,  with 
a  look  on  his  face  which  showed  that  he  knew 
about  how  much  authority  Tom  had  over  the 
Home  Guards. 


CAPTAIN"   TOM   SMELLS    POWDER.  33 

"And  bear  this  in  mind,"  added  liis  com- 
panion: "when  we  found  that  we  couldn't 
say  or  do  anything  to  stop  them,  and  that 
they  were  dead  set  on  liavirig  the  guns,  we 
oiTexed  to  bring  'em  out  rutlier  than  have  them 
dirty  vagabonds  rummaging  over  our  things; 
but  that  didn't  by  no  means  suit  Lambert. 
Him  and  his  men  must  go  in  themselves  so  as 
to  be  sure  of  getting  everything  in  tlie  shaj^e 
of  weapons  there  was.  And  when  they  got 
Into  my  house  where  do  you  suppose  was  the 
first  place  they  went  to  1 "  added  Boswell,  with 
suppressed  fury. 

"I  have  not  the  slightest  idea,"  replied  Mrs. 
Randolph,  when  the  man  stopped  and  looked 
around  as  if  he  expected  an  answer. 

"To  the  bed,"  said  Tom,  who  had  heard 
that  it  was  a  good  ])lan  for  raiders  to  look 
between  mattresses  for  things  they  wanted  to 
find. 

"1^0,  they  didn't.  They  went  straight  to 
my  Avife's  bureau,"  said  Boswell  fiercely. 
"That  was  a  pretty  place  to  look  for  guns, 
wasn't  it,  now  ?" 

Tom  was  thunderstruck.  He  knew  that  the 
3 


34  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Home  Guards  lind  been  denounced  as  robbers 
because  tliey  liad  ransacked  tlie  dwellings  and 
snioke-liouses  of  Union  men,  and  had  thought 
nothing  of  it,  for  Union  men  had  no  rights, 
and  were  not  in  the  least  deserving  of  sym- 
pathy ;  but  this  was  a  different  matter  alto- 
gether. It  would  never  do  to  let  such  a  story 
as  that  get  to  the  ears  of  the  Governor. 

"Perhaps  they  looked  into  the  bureau  for 
revolvers,"  he  managed  to  say  at  length. 

"No,  they  didn't.  They  looked  for  rings 
and  breastpins  and  bracelets  and  the  like  ; 
but  they  didn't  find  none,  for  my  wife  was 
sharp  enough  to  put  the  whole  business  into 
her  pocket  as  soon  as  she  see  that  they  were 
set  on  coming  into  the  house.  All  the  same, 
they  got  a  rifle  that  cost  me  $125  in  gold  in 
New  Orleans  in  good  times,  and  a  shot  gun 
that  is  worth  almost  twice  as  much.  And 
ril  tell  you  what's  a  fact,  Tom  Randolph  : 
I  want  them  guns  back.  They're  mine,  and  if 
I  don't  get  'em  I'll  raise  a  fuss." 

"And  while  you  are  getting  them  you  might 
a«  well  tell  Lambert  to  hand  over  the  two  guns 
he  stole  from  me,"  said  the  other  visitor,  "  and 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  35 

that  if  he  ever  pokes  his  long  nose  inside  my 
door  again  I'll  send  the  contents  of  one  of  'em 
into  it.  I  say  nothing  about  the  hams  they 
took  from  my  smoke  house,  but  they  mustn't 
try  to  take  any  more.  I  reckon  me  and  Bos- 
well  were  a  little  too  fast  in  accusing  you  of 
sending  Limbert  to  search  our  houses,  but  you 
being  the  captain,  you  know,  why — really  you 
had  oughter  make  them  fellers  go  a  little 
slower.  What  do  you  think  of  the  situation 
anyhow,  Mr.  Randolph  ?  And  how  long  will 
it  be  before  we  shall  have  Washington  ?  " 

Mr.  Randolph  and  his  wife  were  glad  to 
have  the  conversation  turned  into  another 
channel,  and  so  was  Captain  Tom,  who  did  not 
want  to  hear  any  more  about  Lieutenant  Lam- 
bert and  his  exploits.  He  was  ill  at  ease  as 
long  as  the  visitors  remained  ;  but  they  went 
away  as  soon  as  they  had  drunk  their  coffee, 
and  seemed  as  glad  to  go  as  the  Randolphs 
were  to  have  them. 

Tom  did  not  eat  a  hearty  breakfast  that 
morning,  for  the  fear  that  the  Governor  might 
get  wind  of  Lambert's  latest  raid  and  revoke 
his  commission,  added   to  the   difficulties   he 


36  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

saw  ill  his  way  of  complying  with  the  demands 
his  late  visitors  had  made  upon  him,  took 
away  his  appetite.  He  must  restore  those 
guns  to  their  owners — there  were  no  two  ways 
about  that ;  but  how  should  he  go  to  work  to 
get  them  ?  His  first  thought  was  to  present 
himself  before  Lambert  in  full  uniform  and,  by 
virtue  of  the  authority  conferred  upon  him  by 
his  captain's  commission,  wdiich  stated  in  plain 
language  that  he  was  to  be  obeyed  by  all  per- 
sons under  him,  demand  the  return  of  the 
stolen  jDroperty  forthwith.  That  was  the  way 
any  other  cnptain  would  have  gone  about  it, 
Tom  thought  ;  but  he  was  afraid  that  bluster 
might  not  prove  successful  in  his  case.  He  had 
reason  to  fear  (and  it  was  one  of  the  heaviest 
trials  he  was  called  upon  to  bear)  that  he  did  not 
stand  as  high  in  the  estimation  of  some  of  his 
men  as  he  did  in  his  mother's  ;  that  he  had  on 
one  or  two  occasions  been  compared  to  a  wagon's 
fifth  wheel  in  point  of  usefulness,  and  it  would 
be  just  like  the  insubordinate  Lambert  to  re- 
fuse point  blank  to  obey  his  orders.  That 
would  be  unfortunate,  for  it  would  show  to  the 
world,  and  perhaps  to  the  Governor,  that  Tom 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  37 

was  not  tlie  real  capfaiu  of  the  Home  Guards. 
After  looking  at  the  matter  from  all  sides  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  conciliation  would  be 
his  best  policy,  and  when  he  rode  away  to 
seek  an  interview  wdth  his  lientenant  he  wore 
citizen's  clothes  and  left  his  sword  behind.  He 
found  Lambert  at  his  quarters  on  the  Ran- 
dall pLmtation,  where  he  continued  to  live, 
although  he  had  turned  the  work  over  to  the 
field  hands  and  seldom  took  the  trouble  to 
see  how  it  was  going  on,  and  he  was  just  get- 
ting ready  to  mount  the  horse  that  had  been 
brought  to  liis  door. 

"  Hallo,  lieutenant !  "  began  Tom,  with 
more  familiarity  and  good-fellowship  than  he 
had  ever  before  exhibited  in  addressing  the 
man. 

"Morning,  cap'n,"  replied  the  overseer, 
who  might  have  responded  to  the  salutation 
in  a  very  different  way  if  Tom  had  not  been 
respectful  enough  to  put  a  handle  to  his  name. 
"  Want  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  I  came  over  on  purpose  to  have  a  friendly 
talk  with  you,"  said  Tom.  "Look  here,  old 
fellow  ;  you  will  play  smash  if  you  don't  stop 


38  RODl^EY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

raiding  the  premises  of  such  men  as  Boswell 
and  Wallace.     What  induced  you  to  do  it  ?  " 

"Aint  I  got  a  right  to  look  forwe'pons?" 
demanded  Lambert. 

"  You  have  authority  from  me,"  answered 
Tom,  with  some  emphasis  on  the  two  last 
words,  "to  search  the  houses  of  Union  men, 
but  you  have  no  right  to  enter  the  dwellings 
of  Confederates." 

"  Look-a-here,  cap'n.  I  knowed  that  them 
two  men  had  guns  in  hiding." 

"But  you  didn't  expect  to  find  them  in 
bureau  drawers,  did  you  ?  " 

"Eh  ?  "  exclaimed  the  overseer.  He  looked 
somewhat  abashed  for  a  moment  and  then 
continued  :  "  When  I  search  a  house  I  search 
it.     I  look  into  every  hole  and  corner  in  it." 

"That  is  perfectly  right  when  you  search 
houses  belonging  to  the  enemies  of  your  coun- 
try ;  but  it  is  all  wrong  when  you  enter  the 
houses  of  our  friends.  Such  work  will  turn 
them  against  us — make  enemies  of  them.  I 
saw  Boswell  and  Wallace  this  morning  and 
they  are  mad  as  hornets.  They  want  their 
guns  back." 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  39 

"  Well,  the  next  time  you  see  'em  just  ask 
if  they'll  have  'em  now  or  wait  till  they  get 
'em.  I  want  them  guns  myself  to  keep  the 
Yankees  from  getting  'em." 

"The  Yankees!"  said  Tom  contemptu- 
ously. "You  don't  think  they  will  ever  get 
this  far  South,  do  you  V 

"  They  mout.  Didn't  you  say  yourself  that 
they  was  liable  to  come  down  from  Cairo  or  up 
from  New  Orleans,  and  that  we'd  onghter  have 
a  company  of  Home  Guards  here  to  stop  'em  ? " 

"I  said  there  was  a  bare  possibility  that 
they  might  do  so,  and  that  it  would  be  the 
part  of  wisdom  to  prepare  for  an  emergency," 
answered  Caj)tain  Tom,  who  well  remembered 
that  he  had  used  stronger  language  than  that 
while  urging  Lambert  to  send  in  his  name. 
"  But  I  want  those  guns  and  must  have  them 
at  once.  You' haven't  any  commission  from 
the  Governor  yet,  and  I " 

When  Tom  said  this  he  stopi)ed  abruptly 
and  gave  such  a  start  that  his  lieutenant  looked 
up  at  him  in  surprise. 

"What's  the  matter,  cap'n?"  said  he. 
"You  what?" 


40  EODNEY,  THE    OVEllSEEK. 

"Yoa  haven't  received  your  commission 
from  the  Governor  yet,"  repeated  Tom  slowly 
and  emphatically.     "  And  when  I " 

"  Have  I  got  to  have  a  paper  like  yourn  ?  " 
exclaimed  Lambert,  looking  astonished  and 
interested.     "  That's  news  to  me." 

"  Yes.  And  it  can  come  to  yon  only  through 
my  recommendation.  I  must  certify  that  you 
were  legally  elected  to  the  office  you  hold,  and 
that  was  the  reason  I  did  not  want  you  men  to 
go  through  the  farce  of  holding  an  election  on 
horseback  on  the  day  I  ordered  you  out  forin- 
specltion,"  replied  Tom  ;  but  the  truth  was  he 
had  never  thought  of  it  until  that  moment. 
It  was  a  bright  idea  that  suddenly  Hitted 
through  his  mind,  and  he  wondered  why  it  had 
been  so  long  in  coming  to  him. 

"Well,  by  gum!"  was  all  the  disgusted 
Lambert  could  say  in  reply. 

"Your  papers,  if  you  get  them,  Avill  be 
something  like  mine,  only  different,  you  know, 
for  a  captain  outranks  a  lieutenant  bj  a  large 
majority,"  continued  Tom,  improving  to  the 
utmost  the  advantage  he  had  so  unexpectedly 
gained.     "  You  have  no  authority  to  make  out 


CAPTAIN   TOAt    SMELLS    POWDER.  41 

warrants,  but  I  have  ;  and  our  non-coms.,  if 
we  had  any,  would  have  to  look  to  me  for 
them." 

This  was  all  Greek  to  the  overseer,  who  had 
taken  no  pains  to  post  himself  on  military 
matters,  but  he  did  not  ask  Tom  to  explain, 
for  he  was  anxious  to  hear  more  about  the 
commission  he  ought  to  have,  but  had  not  yet 
received. 

"  Well,  go  on,"  said  he  impatiently,  "xind 
when  you  what  ?  " 

"And  when  I  make  my  first  report  to  t)ie 
Governor  or  his  adjutant-general,  and  ask  him 
about  your  commission  and  Moseley's,  I  want 
to  be  able  to  say  that  you  are  in  every  way 
satisfactory  to  me  as  well  as  to  the  people 
hereabouts,  and  that  I  am  sure  you  will  make 
brave  and  obedient  officers.  But  you  can  see 
for  yourself  that  I  can't  say  that  if  you  keep 
on  bothering  good  and  loyal  Confederates  like 
AVallace  and  Boswell.  I  think  you  had  better 
give  me  those  guns." 

"I  aint  got  but  one,"  replied  Lambert,  who 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  independent  and  swag- 
gering air  he  had  assumed  at  the  beginning  of 


42  KODNEY,  THE   OVEUSKKK, 

tlie  interview,  "and  I'll  go  right  in  and  bring 
it  out." 

"Where  are  the  others?"  demanded  Cap- 
tain Tom. 

"Well,  Moseley's  got  one,  Smith's  got 
another,  and  where  t'other  one  has  went  I  dis- 
remember  just  at  this  minute." 

"You  distributed  the  spoils  among  you,  it 
seems." 

"Yes,  kinder;  so't  the  Yankees  couldn't 
easy  find  them." 

"Then  you  must  ride  around  and  gather 
them  up  ;  and  as  I  have  nothing  particular 
to  do  this  morning  I  will  go  with  you.  I'd 
rather  be  a  king  among  hogs  than  a  hog 
among  kings  any  day,"  said  Tom  to  himself, 
as  his  lieutenant  turned  about  and  went  into 
his  house,  "but  I  confess  I  little  thought  I 
should  get  so  low  down  as  to  command  a 
lot  of  brigands.  That  idea  about  the  com- 
missions makes  me  the  biggest  toad  in  the 
puddle  from  this  time  on.  I'll  hold  them 
up  as  prospective  rewards  for  good  be- 
havior and  prompt  obedience  of  orders  ;  but 
Lambert    and     Moseley    shall     never     have 


CAPTAIN"   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  43 

commissions  on  mj  recommendation,  I  bet 
you." 

The  Home  Guards  had  deliberately  stolen 
these  four  valuable  guns,  and  Tom  Randolph 
knew  it  as  soon  as  lie  found  how  they  had 
been  scattered  about.  The  plea  that  if  -per- 
mitted  to  remain  in  possession  of  their  owners 
they  might  be  captured  by  the  Yankees,  who 
would  use  them  to  kill  Confederates,  was  Lam- 
bert's excuse  for  one  of  the  worst  outrages 
that  had  ever  been  perpetrated  in  that  part  of 
Louisiana  ;  but  it  was  by  no  means  the  last. 
Three-fourths  of  all  the  Home  Guards  in  the 
South  were  like  Captain  Tom's  men,  and  the 
worst  that  can  be  said  of  them  is  that  they 
acted  as  guards  at  Andersonville,  Libby,.Mil- 
len,  and  Salisbury.  It  was  not  the  Confederate 
soldiers  who  served  at  the  front,  but  the  Home 
Guards,  who  starved  the  boys  in  blue  to  death 
in  those  prison  pens,  and  hunted  them  with 
blood-hounds  when  they  escaped. 

The  upshot  of  the  whole  matter  was  that 
Tom  got  the  guns,  which  in  due  time  were  re- 
stored to  their  lawful  owners,  and  plumed 
himself  on  having  firmly  established  his  au- 


44  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tliority  over  liis  men.  Well,  they  did  behave 
a  little  better  during  the  daytime  and  in  that 
settlement  where  they  were  so  Avell  known, 
but  they  took  to  riding  around  of  nights,  and 
making  "visits  of  ceremony  "  to  isolated  farm- 
lionses  in  which  they  had  reason  to  suppose 
that  they  would  find  something  worth  stealing. 
But  riding  was  anything  but  easy  work,  and 
the  novelty  of  frightening  women  and  children 
and  browbeating  unarmed  men  wore  off  after 
a  while  ;  and  when  they  had  secured  bacon 
and  meal  enough  to  last  them  for  a  few  weeks, 
the  Home  Guards  subsided  and  were  seldom 
heard  of  again  until  the  news  of  the  glorious 
victory  at  Bull  Run  raised  the  war  spirit  of 
the  .Southern  i:)eople  to  the  old  fever  heat. 
Then  they  came  to  tlie  surface  again,  and  i)er- 
secuted  Union  people  in  and  around  Moore- 
ville  so  fiercely  that  some  of  them  were  i3om- 
pelled  to  flee  for  their  lives.  Captain  Randolph 
being  in  command  this  time.  From  his  friend 
Drummond,  the  telegraph  operator,  he  secured 
a  list  of  all  suspected  persons  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  with  this  to  aid  him  Tom  succeeded 
in  doing  effective  work  for  the  cause  of  South- 


CAPTATISr   TOM   SINEP^LLS   POWDEIl,  45 

ern  independence.  But  it  was  too  much  like 
labor  to  be  kept  up  for  any  length  of  time  ; 
there  was  not  very  much  glory  in  it  anyway^ 
the  better  class  of  Secessionists  in  the  commu- 
nity became  strongly  opposed  to  it,  and  so  the 
Home  Gruards  dropped  out  of  sight  once  more, 
not  to  appear  again  until  Farragut  captured 
New  Orleans  and  sent  some  of  his  vessels  up 
the  river  to  effect  a  junction  with  Flng-OfRcer 
Davis  at  Vicksburg.  When  the  people  of 
Mooreville  heard  of  it  they  were  very  indig- 
nant, and  some  of  them  declared  that  they 
would  never  submit  to  have  their  country 
overrun  in  that  way — they  would  die  first ; 
and  to  show  how  very  much  in  enrnest  they 
were  they  stopped  all  work,  sliut  up  their 
houses,  and  ran  about  the  streets  in  the  greatest 
excitement.  When  the  ship  of  war  Iroquois 
came  up  with  Commander  Pahner  on  board 
and  demanded  the  surrender  of  Baton  Rouge, 
the  mayor  of  tliat  insignificant  little  town 
"indulged  in  the  same  mock-heroic  nonsense 
that  the  mayor  and  council  of  New  Orleans 
had  been  indulging  in  the  week  before."  He 
declared  that  the  city  would  not  be  surren- 


46  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

dered  to  any  power  on  earth,  and  that  if  the 
Federals  took  possession  of  it  they  would  do 
it  without  the  consent  and  against  the  wishes 
of  the  peaceable  inhabitants. 

"  It  was  all  done  for  effect,  and  that  man 
will  be  one  of  the  last  in  the  Confederacy  to 
shoulder  a  musket,"  said  Rodney  Gray  when 
he  heard  of  it ;  but  being  a  soldier  he  ap- 
plauded the  action  of  Captain  Palmer,  who, 
without  any  fuss  or  parade,  promptly  took 
possession  of  the  barracks,  arsenal,  and  other 
property  of  the  United  States.  He  hoisted  the 
flag  of  the  Union  over  the  arsenal  too,  and  told 
the  boastful  mayor  in  pretty  plain  language 
that  he  would  let  it  stay  there  if  he  did  not 
want  to  get  himself  and  his  town  into  trouble. 

"All  honor  to  the  brave  citizens  of  New 
Orleans.  They  have  shown  me  how  I  ought 
to  act  in  this  emergency,"  said  Captain  Ran- 
dolph on  the  morning  the  startling  news  came 
that  some  of  the  victorious  Union  fleet  had 
steamed  up  the  river.  He  posted  for  his  room 
the  moment  he  heard  of  it,  and  when  he  came 
down  he  was  dressed  in  his  uniform  and  wore 
his  glittering  sword  by  his  side. 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SMELLS   POWDEll.  47 

"  Now  take  those  things  off  and  don't  make 
a  fool  of  yourself,"  said  Mr.  Eandolph,  who 
had  told  his  wife  over  and  over  again  that 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  wished  he 
had  never  had  anything  to  do  with  the  Home 
Guards. 

"Don't  be  rash,  my  dear,"  said  his  mother 
in  tones  more  befitting  the  occasion.  "  What 
are  you  going  to  do  ? " 

"I  shall  assemble  my  company  and  place 
myself  in  a  strong  position  between  here  and 
Baton  Rouge,  and  stand  ready  to  resist  tlie 
enemy's  advance  upon  Mooreville,"  replied 
Tom.  "The  Federal  General  Butler  has 
more  than  100,000  men,  and  can  easily  spare 
some  of  them  long  enough  to  make  our 
capital  a  heap  of  ashes  ;  but  the  Governor 
shall  hear  that  I  harassed  them  while  they 
were  doing  it,  as  our  own  Marion  and  his  bold 
men  used  to  harass  the  Redcoats." 

Those  who  were  best  acquainted  with  Tom 
Randolph  knew  that  he  Avould  not  have  gone 
one  step  toward  Baton  Rouge  if  he  had  not 
had  the  best  of  reasons  for  believing  that  there 
were  no  troops  at  hand  to  take  possession  of 


48  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

the  city  after  the  war  ships  had  captured  it ; 
but  although  Tom  hinted  as  much  to  the 
members  of  his  company  whom  he  tried  to 
rally  to  the  defence  of  their  hearth-stones,  he 
could  not  induce  more  than  a  handful  of  them 
to  turn  out.  It  did  not  require  very  much 
courage  to  rob  Union  men  wjio  had  previously 
been  deprived  of  their  weapons,  but  facing 
bl  ue-jackets  who  were  likely  to  have  loaded  mus- 
kets in  their  hands  was  a  more  serious  matter. 
The  excuses  the  Home  Guards  made  for  refus- 
ing to  follow  their  captain  were  of  the  flimsiest 
kind  ;  but,  all  the  same,  they  wouldn't  go,  and 
Tom  finally  rode  away  with  only  a  baker's 
dozen  of  men  at  his  heels.  They  arrived  with- 
in sight  of  the  spii'es  of  the  city  on  the  same 
day  that  Captain  Palmer's  sailors  hoisted  the 
Union  flag  over  the  arsenal,  and  might  per- 
haps have  witnessed  the  ceremony  if  they  had 
gone  a  mile  or  two  farther  down  the  road  ; 
but  Captain  Tom  could  not  uncover  Mooreville 
even  for  the  sake  of  saving  the  capital  of  his 
State.  He  did  not  even  venture  near  enough 
to  the  Mississippi  to  see  the  Iroquois'  top- 
masts ;  but  he  went  closer  to  the  enemy  than 


CAPTAIN   TOM    SMELLS    POWDEU.  49 

the  cowards  who  remained  at  home,  and  that 
was  something  to  be  proud  of. 

Captain  Tom  slept  in  a  phuiter's  house  that 
nioht,  while  his  men  bunked  in  the  stables  and 
corn  cribs  and  under  the  ti'ees  in  the  yard,  and 
the  next  morning  made  a  wide  detour  to  the 
river  above  the  city  with  no  other  object  in 
view  than  to  be  able  to  say,  when  he  went 
home,  that  he  had  been  there.  If  he  had 
known  what  he  was  going  to  see  and  exjjeri- 
ence  when  he  reached  the  river  it  isn't  likely 
that  he  would  have  gone  in  that  direction  at 
all  ;  for  he  halted  his  men  behind  the  levee 
just  in  time  to  see  a  monster  war  vessel  steam- 
ing leisurely  u])  the  swift,  muddy  current  of 
the  Mississipjii.  She  was  the  blackest,  ugliest 
looking  thing  that  Tom's  eyes  had  ever  rested 
on,  and  the  queerest  sensations  came  over  him 
as  he  gazed  at  her.  It  was  not  a  cold  day,  but 
Tom  shivered  violently,  and  tasted  something 
in  his  mouth  that  reminded  him  of  salt. 

'*  By  gum!  There's  one  of  them  things 
now.  Let's  try  a  whack  at  her.  What  do  you 
say,  boys? " 

Tom  had  been  on  the  point  of  giving  the 
4 


50  KODXEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

signal  for  retreat,  or  trying  to  give  it,  but  this 
astounding  and  reckless  i)roposition  staggered 
liim  so  that  he  could  not  open  his  mouth. 
The  man  who  made  it  showed  that  he  w^as  in 
earnest  by  swinging  himself  from  his  horse 
and  advancing  on  all  fours  toward  the  levee, 
dragging  his  rilie  along  the  ground  at  his  side. 
In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  he  and  all 
his  companions  were  lying  prone  behind  the 
levee,  using  it  as  a  breastwork,  and  Captain 
Tom  sat  in  his  saddle  looking  on  like  one  in  a 
dream.  When  they  were  all  in  position  one 
of  the  Home  Guards  set  up  a  warwhoop,  a 
straggling  fire  ran  along  the  top  of  the  levee 
and  bullets  and  buckshot  went  Avhistling 
toward  the  vessel.  There  were  several  men  on 
her  deck  and  around  the  wheel-house,  and 
although  Tom  did  not  see  any  of  them  fall  he 
did  see  that  they  were  badly  frightened,  for 
lliey  ran  in  all  directions,  and  an  instant  later 
there  was  not  one  of  them  to  be  seen.  The 
Home  Guards  yelled  triumphantl}'^  and  turned 
on  their  backs  behind  their  brenstwork  to  re- 
load their  guns.  Then  Tom  managed  to  find 
his  voice  ;  but  it  sounded  so  strangely  that  he 


CAPTAIlSr   TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  51 

Imrdly  knew  wlietlier  it  belonged  to  him  or 
not. 

"That's  the  way  to  make  the  Yankees  hunt 
their  holes,"  he  said,  in  trembling  tones. 
"  Give  it  to  them  again  !  Cut  their  old  tub  to 
pieces,  my  brave " 

Just  then  a  wide,  dark  opening  appeared  in 
the  side  of  the  vessel  nearest  them,  a  black 
object  came  slowly  out,  a  thundering  concus- 
sion rent  the  air,  and  a  thirty-two  pound  shell 
came  at  them.  It  shrieked  fearfully  as  it  Hew 
over  the  levee  above  their  heads,  and  made 
sucli  a  horrid  din  when  it  exploded  in  the 
thick  woods  behind  them,  scattering  iron  and 
branches  about  and  cutting  down  twigs  and 
leaves  in  a  perfect  shower,  that  for  a  single 
instant  the  Home  Guards  were  motionless  with 
astonishment  and  terror.  They  had  not  hurt 
the  gunboat  at  all,  but  they  had  made  her  cap- 
tain angry,  and  the  fear  tliat  he  might  resent 
the  insult  to  his  flag  by  firing  more  shells  at 
them  sent  the  Home  Guards  to  their  saddles 
in  hot  haste  ;  and  with  Captain  Tom,  who  rode 
the  swiftest  horse,  far  in  the  lead,  they  struck 
out  for  home  at  a  better  pace  than  they  had 


52  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

ever  travelled  before.  And  they  never  drew 
rein  until  they  had  left  the  dangerous  neigh- 
borhood miles  behind. 

"It was  the  narrowest  escape  from  an  am- 
buscade I  ever  had  in  my  life,"  said  Cnptain 
Tom  to  the  first  man  he  met  when  he  rode  into 
Mooreville  that  night,  "and  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  my  promptness  in  getting  out  of  there  I 
shouldn't  have  had  a  man  left.  We'd  have 
been  cut  to  pieces  or  captured,  the  last  one  of 
us.  We  didn't  see  any  enemy  except  the  ship 
we  fired  at,  but  a  minute  or  so  after  she  opened 
on  us  a  battery  of  flying  artillery,  that  had  all 
the  while  been  concealed  in  the  timber  in  our 
rear,  cut  loose  on  us  with  all  its  guns,  and  it's 
a  miracle  that  one  of  us  escaped  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  battle." 

"But  my  partner  came  from  Baton  Rouge 
to-day,"  said  the  man  doubtfully,  "and  he 
declares  that  there  are  no  Yankee  troops  in  the 
country  this  side  of  New  Orleans.  So  where 
did  that  battery  come  from  ?"• 

"Don't  you  believe  any  such  stuff,"  re- 
plied Tom  indignantly.  "I  tell  you  the 
woods  are  full  of  them,  and  they  are  liable 


CAPTAIN  TOM   SMELLS   POWDER.  53 

to  come  to  Mooreville  between  now  and  sun- 
rise." 

If  no  one  else  believed  liis  story  Tom  be- 
lieved it  himself,  and  the  consequence  was  he 
slept  in  his  chair  that  night.  But  for  some 
reason  the  Yankees  did  not  appear  as  he  had 
predicted,  and  they  might  have  postponed 
their  coming  indefinitely  had  it  not  been  for 
the  lawless  acts  of  Captain  Tom's  own  men. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   CONSCKIPT'S   FRIEND. 

TOM  RANDOLPH  would  have  been  very 
angry  indeed  if  anyone  had  told  him  that 
the  noise  that  thirty-two  pound  shell  made 
when  it  exploded  in  the  woods,  and  led  him 
and  his  men  to  believe  that  there  was  a  Union 
battery  concealed  there,  had  frightened  all 
the  war  spirit  out  of  him,  but  it  is  a  fact  that 
after  his  experience  with  the  gunboat  he  did 
not  show  the  least  desire  to  take  the  field  again 
at  the  head  of  his  corapan3^  Everybody  knew 
that  there  were  no  Federal  troops  in  Baton 
Rouge,  but  there  were  war  vessels  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi holding  the  city  under  their  guns,  and 
their  presence  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  a 
good  many  red-hot  rebels  besides  Tom  Ran- 
dolph. More  than  that.  General  Butler  had 
assumed  command  at  New  Orleans  ;  and  the 
energetic  and  effective  way  in  which  he  dealt 
with  treason  there    opened    the  eyes  of  the 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  55 

Mooreville  people  to  tlie  fact  that  there  might 
be  a  day  of  settlement  coming  for  them  also, 
and  that  it  would  be  well  if  they  could  have 
a  tolerably  clean  record  to  show  when  the  in- 
vading armj^  moved  up  to  take  possession  of 
Baton  Rouge. 

This  was  the  way  Mr.  Randolph  and  some  of 
his  neighbors  looked  at  the  situation  ;  and  act- 
ing upon  the  hints  they  drojDped  in  his  pres- 
ence, Tom  concealed  his  uniform  and  sword 
in  the  garret,  where  he  thought  no  one  would 
be  likely  to  look  for  them.  He  was  getting 
tired  of  war  anyway,  he  said,  and  wished  the 
past  could  be  blotted  out  and  things  be  as  they 
were  before  South  Carolina,  by  her  senseless 
act  of  secession,  brought  so  much  trouble  upon 
him  and  his  friends.  He  Avas  not  as  disgusted 
and  angry  as  a  good  Confederate  ought  to  have 
been  when  he  heard  a  man  from  Baton  Rouge 
affirm  that  after  all  the  Yankees  were  not  such 
a  bad  sort  when  one  became  acquainted  with 
them,  and  that  some  of  the  towns- people  were 
not  ashamed  to  confess  to  a  friendly  feeling 
for  the  crews  of  the  gunboats  that  were  an- 
chored in  front  of  the  city.     The  blue-jackets 


56  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

always  acted  like  gentlemen  when  they  came 
ashore,  and,  true  to  their  instincts  of  traffic, 
had  established  a  lively  little  trade  with  the 
citizens.  They  purchased  everything  the  latter 
liad  to  sell  in  the  way  of  garden-trnck,  milk, 
butter,  and  eggs,  and  paid  for  all  they  got  in 
good  money;  or,. what  was  better,  in  coffee,  tea 
.  (store  tea  too,  and  not  sassafras),  wheat  flour, 
and  salt.  It  is  true  that  the  salt  was  not  as 
fine  nor  as  clean  as  some  they  had  seen,  for  it 
had  been  taken  from  the  brine  of  the  beef  and 
pork  barrels  with  which  the  store-rooms  of  the 
gunboats  were  abundantly  supplied  ;  but  it 
was  acceptable  to  people  who  had  boiled  down 
the  dirt  floors  of  their  smoke-houses  in  order 
to  get  the  salt  that  had  trickled  off  the  hams 
and  sides  of  bacon  which  had  been  cured  there 
in  better  times.  The  gunboat  officers  also 
sent  their  soiled  linen  ashore  to  be  Avashed,  so 
that  not  a  day  i^assed  during  which  there  was 
not  more  or  less  communication  Avitli  the  fleet. 
This  was  a  pleasant  state  of  affairs  all 
around,  especially  to  the  victorious  blue- 
jackets, Avho  liad  grown  tired  of  fighting  and 
wanted  all  the  shore  liberty  they  could  get, 


THE  conscpwIpt's  friend.  57 

and  it  might  Lave  continued  until  tlie  Con- 
federate General  Breckenridge  made  his  un- 
successful attempt  to  regain  control  of  the 
Mississippi  above  New  Orleans  had  it  not  been 
for  two  things :  the  Confederate  Conscription 
Act,  and  the  determination  on  the  part  of  the 
Home  Guards  to  evade  it.  The  passage  of 
that  act  was  like  a  destructive  thunder-bolt 
from  a  clear  sky,  and  there  were  those  in 
Mooreville  who  refused  to  believe  that  their 
chosen  rulers  would  be  gnilty  of  such  perfidy  ; 
but  the  news  had  hardly  been  received  before 
the  enrolling  officer  put  in  his  appearance, 
thus  proving  the  truth  of  what  we  have 
already  said — that  the  Richmond  Government 
developed  into  a  despotism  so  suddenly  that  it 
was  plain  the  machinery  for  it  had  been  pre- 
pared long  before. 

The  enrolling  officer,  Captain  Roach,  was  a 
dapper  little  fellow  who  did  not  look  as 
though  he  had  seen  much  service,  and,  indeed, 
he  hadn't  seen  a  day  of  it ;  for  when  he  re- 
ceived his  commission  and  orders  from  the 
Governor  he  was  a  practising  lawyer  in  a  small 
inland  town.     Beyond  the  very  slight  knowl- 


58  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

edge  wliicli  lie  had  been  able  to  gain  from  liis 
printed  instructions,  he  knew  nothing  of  his 
duties  or  of  soldiering  ;  but  his  common-sense 
taught  him  that  as  Tom  Randolj^h's  commis- 
sion was  older  than  his  own,  military  etiquette 
required  that  he  should  call  upon  Tom  without 
any  unnecessary  delay — not  to  report  to  him, 
for  Tom  was  not  in  the  Confederate  service  or 
in  any  way  connected  with  the  conscription 
business,  but  merely  to  show  him  projDer 
respect.  He  reached  Mooreville  in  the  morn- 
ing, spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  opening  an 
office  and  spreading  abroad  the  news  of  his 
arrival,  so  that  those  whose  duty  it  was  to 
be  conscripted  would  have  no  trouble  in  find- 
ing him,  and  the  next  morning  mounted  his 
horse  and  set  out  to  find  Captain  Randolph. 
The  first  man  he  met  on  the  road  v^^as  Tom's 
first  lieutenant.  Captain  Roach  did  not  know 
him,  but  he  saw  that  Lambert  was  anxious  to 
ride  on  without  speaking,  and  perhaps  that 
was  the  reason  he  drew  rein  and  accosted  him. 
"Good-morning,"  said  the  captain  pleas- 
antly. "  You  know  I  have  opened  an  office  in 
Kimberly's  store,  I  suppose  ?" 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  69 

"  Say !  What  made  you  ask  me  that  ques- 
tion for?"  demanded  Lambert,  who  was 
instantly  on  his  guard. 

"Because  I  take  you  to  be  over  eighteen 
and  under  thirty-five,  and  would  like  to  have 
you  drop  around  and  see  me,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  I  aint  a-going  to  do  it;  and  that 
settles  it.     See?" 

"  Really  I  donH  see  how  you  can  get  out  of 
it." 

"Don't,  hey?  Well,  I  do.  I  aint  Confed- 
rit.     I'm  State  Rights." 

"Are  you  not  aware  that  there  are  no  State 
Rights  people  any  more  ? "  asked  the  captain. 
"  The  conscription  act  that  has  just  been 
passed  withdraws  all  non-exempt  citizens  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eighteen  and  thirty-five  from 
State  control,  and  places  them  absolutely  at  the 
disposal  of  the  President  during  the  war." 

"  But  I  aint  agreeing  to  no  such  'rangement, 
don't  you  know?"  exclaimed  Lambert,  Avho 
did  not  like  to  see  the  enrolling  ofiicer  so  quiet 
and  confident,  for  it  looked  as  though  lie  knew 
what  he  was  talking  about.  "That  was  just 
what  Lincoln  wanted  to  do  when  he  called  on 


60  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

our  Gov' nor  for  soldiers  to  whop  South  Car'- 
liny  ;  but  our  Gov' nor  he  said  he  wasn't  that 
kind  of  a  feller,  and  his  men  shouldn't  go 
out  of  the  State.  Why  don't  he  stick  to 
his  word  and  say  the  same  to  Jeff  Davis  ? " 

"My  friend,  you  don't  understand  the  sit- 
uation at  all "  began  the  captain. 

"Better'n  you  do,  by  a  long  sight,"  inter- 
rupted Lambert.  "  I  aint  agreeing  to  no  such 
bargain,  I  tell  you.  Them  as  wants  to  go  to 
Virginy  to  fight  for  the  'Federacy  can  go  for 
all  me  ;  but  I  don't  want  to  go,  and,  by  gum  ! 
I  won't.     And  furder,  I'm  a  Home  Guard." 

"  In  your  case  that  doesn't  matter.  The 
government  would  be  quite  willing  to  stretch 
a  point  in  favor  of  home  organizations  that 
Lave  proved  themselves  to  be  worth  something, 
but  you  Mooreville  fellows  haven't  done  the 
■first  thing  for  the  cause.  You  have  turned 
some  of  our  friends  against  ws,  but  where  are 
the  Yankees  you  have  shot,  and  how  many 
j^risoners  have  you  taken  ?  " 

"  Look  here,  by  gum  !  "  exclaimed  the  lieu- 
tenant. 

"I  have  heard  all  about  you,  and  the  Gover- 


THE   conscript's    FRIEND,  61 

nor  says  in  tlie  letter  he  sent  Avith  my  com- 
mission that  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  send 
you  to  a  camp  of  instruction,"  continued  the 
captain.  "You  are  no  good  liere,  for  you 
don't  do  anything." 

"  Dog-gone  my  xjictur'  !  What's  the  reason 
we  aint  been  doing  something  for  the  cause 
right  along?"  shouted  Lambert,  his  red  face 
showing  that  he  was  getting  angry.  "  We've 
been  the  means  of  keeping  the  Union  men  in 
these  parts  from  rising  np  and  taking  the 
country  for  the  Yankees,  and  more'n  that — we 
licked  a  gunboat  in  the  river.  Who  told  you 
we  aint  done  nothing  ?  It  must  be  some 
enemy  of  ourn  wlio  aint  got  the  spirit  to  jine 
in  with  us,  and  if  I  can  find  out  who  he  is  I'll 
make  him  sorry  for  it,  I  bet  you.  But  you 
can't  conscript  me,  I  tell  you.  I'm  an  officer 
appointed  by  the  Gov' nor." 

"Ah!  That  does  make  a  difference,  perhaps." 

"Well,  I  reckon  it  does,"  said  Lambert, 
with  a  satisfied  smile. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  have  yonr  commission 
with  you  ?  Or  will  you  tell  me  when  I  can 
see  it?" 


62  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

TIlis  was  what  Lambert  bimself  would  liaA'e 
called  a  "side-winder,"  and  liis  lirst  thouglit 
was  to  hunt  u^)  Tom  Randolph,  and  stand  over 
him  with  liis  riding-whip  until  he  had  seen 
him  write  to  the  Governor  asking  for  that 
long  delayed  commission.  Tom  had  often 
promised  to  do  it,  but  he  never  had,  and  now 
Lambert  was  likely  to  see  trouble  on  account 
of  his  negligence. 

"lam  first  leftenant  of  our  company;  my 
commission  is  all  right,  and  that  settles  that 
point,"  said  he  at  length.  "If  the  Yankee 
General  Butler  brings  his  army  from  New  Or- 
leans to  capture  Mooi'eville  he  will  run  against 
a  snag,  for  he  will  find  me  and  my  men  here 
to  stop  him.  We  jined  to  guard  our  homes. 
That's  why  they  call  us  Home  Guards,  and 
that  settles  the  other  point  you  was  speaking 
of.  We  aint  got  no  prisoners  to  show,  kase 
there  aint  no  Yankees  come  nigh  us  ;  but  we 
are  just  as  much  use  here  as  we  would  be  up 
there  in  Virginy." 

"  We  need  every  man  we  can  get,^^  re- 
plied Captain  Roach.  "Those  avIio  do  not 
come    of  their    own    free    will    must    expect 


THE   conscript's    FRIEND.  63 

to  be  taken  by  force,  unless  tliey  can  show 
that  tlie}^  are  of  use  at  home.  You  Moore- 
ville  Home  Guards  have  had  the  finest 
chance  in  the  world  to  make  a  name  for 
yourselves.  Why  didn't  you  drive  those 
gunboats  away  from  Baton  Rouge  long 
ago?" 

"Shucks!"  exclaimed  Lambert.  "Why, 
man  alive,  they've  got  cannons  on  'em." 

"What  of  it  I  Couldn't  you  hide  behind 
the  levee,  where  you  would  be  safe,  and  pick 
off  every  sailor  who  showed  his  head  above 
decks?  Couldn't  you  keep  those  small  boats 
from  coming  ashore  and  going  back  loaded 
down  with  provisions  ?  You  have  been  giving 
aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy  by  permitting 
such  things,  and  that's  contrary  to  law.  But 
I  must  ride  along,  for  I  am  on  my  way  to  visit 
Captain  Randolph;  I  am  not  sure  that  you 
are  exempt  simply  because  you  are  an  officer  in 
the  State  militia,  but  will  tell  you  the  next 
time  we  meet." 

"  You  needn't  mind  looking  it  up,  for  I  aint 
going,  I  tell  you.  But  TU  tell  you  one  thing, 
and  that  aint  two  :  if  you  take  me  you  will 


64  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

have   to  take  Tom    Randolph  likewise.      I'll 
raise  a  fuss  if  you  don't." 

The  two  sejjarated,  and  the  enrolling  officer 
kept  on  his  way  to  the  home  of  Captain  Ran- 
dolph, who  had  somehow  heard  that  he  might 
look  for  a  distinguished  visitor  on  this  par- 
ticular morning,  and  was  thrown  into  a  state 
of  great  excitement  by  the  unwelcome  news. 
The  presence  of  the  enrolling  officer  in  town 
was  all  the  evidence  Tom  needed  to  j^rove  that 
there  was  no  immediate  danger  of  an  invasion 
by  the  Federals,  so  he  brought  his  uniform 
from  its  hiding  place  in  the  garret ;  and  when 
he  had  arraj^ed  himself  in  it,  and  leaned  his 
sword  in  one  corner  of  the  gallery  to  show  that 
he  was  prepared  to  answer  when  duty  called, 
he  was  ready  for  the  visit — that  is,  as  ready  as 
he  ever  would  be,  for  he  wouJd  not  have  seen 
Captain  Roach  at  all  if  he  could  have  thought 
of  any  way  to  uvoid  it.  Rumor  said  that  the 
captain  looked  as  though  he  might  have  come 
out  of  some  lady's  bandbox,  but  all  the  same 
Tom  supposed  him  to  be  a  Confederate  veteran 
who  had  seen  service  on  many  a  hardly  con- 
tested field,  and  who  would  overawe  him  wdth 


THE  conscript's   FRIEND.  65 

his  profound  knowledge  of  military  matters. 
Tom  wished  now  that  he  had  made  a  little 
better  fight  with  that  gunboat,  or  that  he  had 
slipped  into  Baton  Rouge  some  dark  night 
with  a  few  picked  men  and  pulled  down  the 
flag  that  the  Yankee  sailors  had  hoisted  over 
the  arsenal. 

"Oh,  what  honors  I  might  have  gained  for 
myself  if  I  had  only  thought  of  these  things 
before,"  he  said  to  his  mother.  He  always 
went  to  her  with  his  troubles  now,  or  when  he 
stood  in  need  of  encouragement  and  advice, 
his  father  having  told  him  somewhat  sharply 
that  he  had  washed  his  hands  of  the  Home 
Guards  and  never  wanted  to  hear  of  them 
again  as  long  as  he  lived.  "But  that  is  the 
way  it  is  with  me.  My  wit  comes  too  slow  to 
be  of  any  use." 

"I  am  very  glad  that  you  did  not  think 
of  them  before,  you  reckless  boy,"  replied 
Mrs.  Randolph.  "Your  record  is  better 
than  I  wish  it  was,  for  I  am  afraid  it 
will  take  you  into  the  army.  What  would 
you  do  if  this  enrolling  officer  should  de- 
cide to  take  the  company  just  as  it  stands, 
5 


66  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  swear  you  into  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice?" 

"  Csesar's  ghost !  "  cried  Captain  Tom,  in 
great  alarm.  "  If  my  record  as  a  loyal  soldier 
leads  him  to  do  that,  I  shall  be  sorry  I  ever 
put  on  this  uniform.     What  could  I  do  ? " 

"  Could  you  not  follow  the  same  course 
that  Rodney  Gray  pursued,  when  General 
Lacey  came  up  from  New  Orleans  to  swear 
the  Mooreville  Rangers  into  the  Confederate 
Army?"  inquired  Mrs.  Randolph. 

"Mother,  if  you  were  a  man  you  would  be 
a  general  yourself,"  exclaimed  Tom,  his  fears 
vanishing  on  the  instant.  "If  a  first  duty 
sergeant  can  back  down  a  major-general,  I 
reckon  a  captain  in  the  State  militia  can  do 
the  same  for  a  Confederate  captain." 

He  spoke  boldly  enough,  but  when  one  of 
the  house  servants  came  in  to  tell  him  that 
there  was  a  strange  soldier  riding  into  the 
yard  he  felt  his  courage  oozing  out  at  the 
ends  of  his  fingers,  and  he  Avould  hardly  have 
dared  to  go  to  the  door  to  meet  his  visitor 
if  his  mother  had  not  assured  him  that  she 
would  go  also,  and  that  she  would  remain 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  67 

close  at  his  side  to  support  him  during  the 
dreaded  interview. 

The  enrolling  officer  did  not  look  like  a  very 
stern  soldier,  she  told  herself,  when  she  saw 
him  get  off  his  horse  nnd  shake  hands  Avitli 
Tom,  who  had  hastened  down  the  stej)s  to  meet 
him  ;  but  then  he  was  backed  np  by  the  whole 
tremendous  power  of  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment, and  it  was  to  her  interest  and  Tom's  to 
make  a  friend  of  him  if  she  could.  Captain 
Roach  was  equally  anxious  to  secure  Tom's 
assistance  in  the  disagreeable  and  perhaps  dan- 
gerous work  he  had  to  do,  and  the  consequence 
was  it  was  no  trouble  at  all  for  them  to  get  ac- 
quainted, or  to  come  to  an  understanding  with 
one  another.  After  they  had  spent  a  few 
minutes  in  talking  over  the  situation,  and  the 
enrolling  officer  had  shown  his  written  instruc- 
tions, as  well  as  a  copy  of  the  law  by  which 
he  was  supposed  to  be  governed,  the  latter 
said : 

"What  surprises  me  very  much  is  that 
there  is  not  the  first  word  said  about  exemp- 
tions. Whether  it  was  an  oversight  or  not 
the  fact  remains  that,  according  to  this  law, 


68  llODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

every  man  between  tlie  specified  ages  must  be 
conscripted." 

"And  that  is  perfectly  right,"  said  Captain 
Tom,  making  a  hurried  mental  list  of  certain 
persons  in  the  neighborhood  whom  he  would 
be  glad  to  see  go  first  of  all.  "  Everybody  ex- 
cept our  Home  Guards." 

"No,  sir,"  said  Captain  Roach  in  tones  so 
decided  that  Tom's  under  jaw  began  to  drop 
down.  "  The  law  excepts  nobody  ;  but  wait  a 
minute.  After  the  regiments  and  companies 
that  have  gone  to  the  front  from  this  State  are 
filled  up,  the  rest  of  the  conscripts  will  remain 
at  home  as  a  reserve  to  be  drawn  upon  at  in- 
tervals of  not  less  than  three  months,  so  that 
our  organizations  in  the  field  can  be  kept 
always  full.  Now,  why  can't  you  help  me 
so  as  to  keep  your  company  of  Home  Guards 
together  as  long  as  possible  ?  If  we  work  it 
right  perhaps  you  will  not  be  called  upon 
at  all." 

"  That's  the  idea  !  "  exclaimed  Tom,  greatly 
relieved,  while  his  mother  smiled  her  apj)roval 
of  the  suggestion,  and  told  Captain  Roach  on 
the  spot  that  she  expected  him  to  stay  to  din- 


THE  coxsckipt's  frte^d.  69 

ner,  and  as  long  as  lie  remained  in  that  pai't 
of  the  country  to  make  himself  as  free  in  Jjer 
house  as  he  would  in  his  own.  When  she 
ceased  speaking  Tom  continued:  "I  am  like 
Nathan  Hale,  who,  Avhen  the  British  were 
about  to  hang  him  as  a  spy,  said  he  w^as  sorry 
he  had  but  one  life  to  give  to  his  country  ;  but 
for  all  that  I  should  like  to  stay  here  until  I 
have  seen  some  of  our  neighbors  who  have  had 
so  much  to  say  against  the  South  sent  to  the 
front.  But  how  shall  I  work  it  to  keep  my 
company  together  ? " 

"By  doing  as  you  have  suggested,"  replied 
the  captain.  "By  first  sending  away  those 
who  ought  to  be  made  to  light  for  the  South, 
since  they  have  had  so  much  to  say  against 
her  and  her  cause.  Perhaps  by  the  time  they 
have  been  killed  off  our  independence  will  be 
acknowledged  ;  and  then  we  shall  not  need 
any  more  soldiers." 

"That's  the  idea  !"  said  Tom  again.  "But 
how  can  the  Home  Guards  help  you  ?  " 

"  By  serving  in  place  of  the  troops  that  I 
am  authorized  to  call  on  for  assistance,"  an- 
swered  Caj)tain   Roach.      "There   will   be  a 


70  IIODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

camp  of  instruction  establislied  somewliere  in 
the  vicinity  very  shortly,  and  it  will  be  my 
duty  to  forward  my  conscripts  to  that  camp 
as  fast  as  I  can  get  them  .together.  Of  course 
they  will  not  go  willingly " 

"  I  understand,"  interrupted  Captain  Tom. 
"  You  want  me  to  send  some  of  my  men  with 
them  as  guards." 

"  Exactly.  It  will  be  a  feather  in  your  cap 
as  well  as  in  mine  if  we  can  attend  to  the 
business  without  calling  upon  the  government 
for  aid.  I  don't  want  to  do  that  if  I  can  avoid 
it,  for  every  man  we  can  raise  is  needed  at 
the  front  to  resist  McClellan's  advance  upon 
Richmond.  We  must  be  alive,  for  there's 
going  to  be  hot  woi-k  up  there." 

"I  am  with  you;  and  I  don't  know  of 
anything  that  would  suit  the  Home  Guards 
better,"  replied  Tom,  glad  of  the  oppoitunity 
to  gain  a  little  cheap  notoriety  without  put-  ■ 
ting  himself  in  danger  ;  and  when  Capti.in 
Roach  rode  away  from  the  house  after  dinner 
Tom  accompanied  him  to  his  office  in  Kim- 
berly's  store,  and  assisted  in  obtaining  some 
poll-books  from  which  he  could  make  out  a 


THE  coN>;cniPT"'s  friend.  71 

list  of  the  unliappy  men  wlio  were  subject  to 
military  duty  under  the  terms  of  the  Conscrip- 
tion Act. 

Of  coarse  there  were  a  goodly  number  of 
young  fellows  in  the  settlement  between  the 
ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-one  wliose  names 
did  not  appear  on  the  poll-books,  for  they 
w'ere  not  voters  ;  but  Tom  had  them  in  his 
mind,  and  with  his  mother's  aid  and  Lam- 
bert's he  succeeded  during  the  following  week 
in  making  out  a  complete  list  of  them.  At 
the  head  of  the  list  stood  the  name  of  Edward 
Griffin,  Drummond's  assistant  operator,  who 
had  warned  Rodney  Gray  that  he  was  to  be 
arrested  the  moment  he  left  the  boat  at  St. 
Louis  ;  but  Drummond's  name  did  not  appear 
at  all. 

'*  Griffin  is  a  particular  friend  of  one  of  my 
worst  enemies,"  explained  Tom.  "Not  only 
is  he  strong  for  the  Union,  but  he  has  had  a 
good  deal  to  say  about  me  and  my  company 
behind  our  backs,  and  I  w^ant  you  to  serve  a 
notice  on  him  the  first  thing  you  do.  I  wish 
they  would  make  haste  and  establish  that 
camp  of  instruction,  and  when  Griffin  is  sent 


72  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

there  I  want  to  command  the  squad  that  goes 
with  him,  I  wish,  too,  that  Rodney  Gray  was 
here  to  go  with  him." 

In  the  meantime  events  proved  that  tlie 
people  of  the  Soutli  were  not  as  willing  to 
submit  to  the  despotic  acts  of  tlieir  govern- 
ment as  they  ought  to  have  been,  especially  in 
Georgia  and  Arkansas,  "where  it  seemed  that 
a  conflict  might  arise  between  State  and  Con- 
federate authorities."  Officers  of  the  militia 
in  the  former  State  were  arrested  by  the  en- 
rolling officers,  but  the  Governor  demanded 
their  release  and  threatened  to  arrest  the  Con- 
federates if  they  did  not  let  his  State  officers 
alone.  The  Richmond  Government  yielded 
the  point,  but  said  to  the  Governor  of  Georgia, 
through  the  Secretary  of  War:  "If  you  ar- 
rest any  of  our  enrolling  officers  in  their  at- 
tempts to  get  men  to  fill  up  the  Georgia  regi- 
ments now  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  you  will 
cause  great  mischief,  I  think  we  njay  as  well 
drive  out  our  common  enemy  before  we  make 
war  upoti  each  other."  In  Arkansas  Governor 
Rector  threatened  to  secede  from  the  Con- 
federacy,  and   called   for   4500   men    to    de- 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  73 

fend  the  State,  adding  that  "the  troojis  raised 
under  this  call  are  intended  exclusively  for 
home  protection,  and  will  not,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, be  transferred  to  the  Confederate 
service  without  their  consent."  In  short,  the 
Confederacy  was  in  a  very  bad  way,  and  their 
authorities  knew  it ;  for  on  the  21st  of  April  the 
congress  "adjourned  in  such  haste  as  to  show 
that  the  members  were  anxious  to  provide  for 
their  own  personal  snfety."  That  was  the 
time  when  a  rebel  newspaper  invented  the 
word  "skedaddle,"  and  that  was  the  time  too 
when  McClellan  could  have  taken  Richmond  ; 
but  he  "  wasted  three  full  months,  every  day 
of  which  was  of  vital  moment  to  the  Confed- 
eracy, in  doing  nothing,"  and  when  at  last 
he  was  ready  to  advance,  he  found  himself 
confronted  by  an  army  that  was  larger  than 
his  own. 

The  murmurs  of  dissatisfaction  that  arose 
all  over  the  South  when  that  sweeping  Con- 
scription Act  was  passed  were  not  entirely  lost 
upon  the  Richmond  government,  and  the  next 
news  that  came  to  Mooreville  was  that  another 
act  had  been  passed  providing  for  exemptions. 


74  kodnp:y,  the  ovkkseeu. 

Rodney  Gray's  father  was  one  of  the  first  to 
hear  of  it,  and  the  next  time  he  went  to 
Mooreville  he  stopped  at  the  telegia])]!  office 
and  called  Ned  G-riffin  to  the  door.  The  young- 
fellow  had  been  very  much  distressed  ever 
since  he  received  notice  from  Captain  Roach  to 
hold  himself  in  readiness  to  march  to  the  camp 
of  instriiCtioTi  with  the  iirst  squad  of  conscripts 
that  left  town,  and  Tom  Randolph  had  been 
mean  enough  to  let  him  know  how  his  name 
happened  to  be  first  on  the  list.  Griffin  was 
the  only  support  of  a  widowed  mother,  and 
lie  knew  that  things  woald  go  hard  with  her 
when  the  small  sum  he  received  for  his  work 
in  the  telegrai)h  office  ceased  to  come  into  her 
hands  every  month.  More  than  that,  he  be- 
lieved in  the  Union  and  the  flag  that  w^aved 
over  it,  and  did  not  w^ant  to  fight  against  his 
principles.  When  he  came  to  the  door  in  an- 
swer to  Mr.  Gray's  hail  he  looked  as  though 
he  had  lost  the  last  friend  he  had  in  the  world. 
"  I  came  here  to  cheer  you  up  a  bit  by  tell- 
ing you  that  you  need  not  go  into  the  army 
if  you  don't  want  to,"  was  the  way  in  which 
Rodney's  father  announced  the  object  of  his 


THE   CONSOUIPT's   FRIEND.  75 

visit  "  Tlie  new  law  provides  for  the  exemp- 
tion of  one  agriculturist  on  each  farm,  Avhei-e 
there  is  no  white  male  adult  not  liable  to  mil- 
itary duty,  employing  fifteen  able-bodied  ne- 
groes, on  condition  that  the  party  exempted 
shall  give  bond  to  deliver  to  the  government, 
iu  the  next  twelve  months,  100  pounds  of 
bacon  or  its  equivalent  in  salt  pork,  and  100 
13ounds  of  beef  for  each  able-bodied  slave  em- 
l^loyed  on  said  farm." 

Young  Griffin  gasped  for  breath,  bnt  did  not 
say  a  word  in  reply.  He  did  not  smile  either, 
as  Mr.  Gray  did,  for  he  failed  to  see  how  that 
new  law  could  affect  him. 

"  Now,  I  hajDpen  to  have  such  a  farm  up  the 
r^ver  road,"  continued  the  planter.  "  There's 
no  one  on  it  but  a  driver  to  look  out  for 
things,  and  if  yon  have  a  mind  to  go  nj)  and 
take  charge  of  it  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you. 
And  I  think  I  can  put  you  in  the  way  of  earn- 
ing more  money  than  you  do  now." 

"  But,  Mr.  Gray,  I  am  not  an  overseer," 
stam-mered  Griffin,  who  wished  from  the  bot- 
tom of  his  heart  that  he  had  chosen  that 
humble  but  useful  vocation  instead  of  teleg- 


76  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

rapliy.  "I  don't  know  the  first  thing  about 
farming." 

"  Well,  you  can't  learn  younger,  can  you  ? " 

"No,  sir.  But  I — you  see — the  fact  of  the 
matter  is,  where  are  the  bacon  and  beef  to 
come  from  ?  If  they  were  selling  at  a  dollar  a 
ton  I  couldn't  buy  a  hundred  pounds." 

"  You  have  a  whole  year  in  which  to  pay  it," 
replied  Mr.  Gray.  "But  I  don't  believe  in 
going  in  debt,  and  perhaps  we  can  scare  up 
cattle  and  hogs  enough  on  the  farm  to  fill  the 
bill ;  and  I  shall  depend  on  you  to  raise  others 
to  replace  them.  I  think  you  had  better  go. 
You  can  take  your  mother  along  to  keep 
house  for  you,  and  I  don't  see  why  you  can't 
live  as  well  there  on  the  farm  as  you  do  her^e 
in  town.  Tell  Drummond  to  come  out  here  a 
moment." 

"Mr.  Gray,"  said  Griffin, 'witli  tears  of  grat- 
itude in  his  eyes,  "I  wish  you  would  ride 
around  to  our  house  and  let  mother  thank  you 
for  your  kindness.     I  don't  know  how." 

"I  will  save  her  and  you  the  trouble,"  said 
the  planter,  bending  down  from  his  saddle 
and  speaking  in  tones  so  low  that  none  of  the 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  77 

passers-by  could  hear  his  words.  "  Who 
was  it  tlmt  kept  Rodney  from  falling  into 
the  clutches  of  that  Yankee  cotton  factor 
in  St.  Louis?  Tell  Drummond  to  come 
here." 

Drummond  came,  and  Griffin  afterward  said 
that  he  never  saw  so  mad  a  man  as  his  chief 
was  when  the  planter  exp>lained  matters  to 
him  in  a  few  brief  but  emphatic  words.  The 
operator  had  nothing  against  Griffin  person- 
ally, but  Tom  Randolph  had,  and  as  Tom 
had  been  friendly  enough  to  keep  his  name 
off  the  enrolling  list,  Drummond  felt  in 
duty  bound  to  make  common  cause  with 
him. 

"Mr.  Gray,  I  am  afraid  it  won't  work," 
said  he.  "  Griffin  was  conscripted  before  that 
exemption  law  was  passed." 

"I  am  prepared  to  take  the  risk,"  was 
the  quiet  rejoinder.  "In  case  objections 
are  made  we  shall  insist  on  having  the  first 
conscripts  selected  from  the  poll-books  in- 
stead of  from  a  private  list ;  and  if  any  ob- 
jections are  made  to  that  we  will  report  the 
matter    at    headquarters.     Your  name  comes 


78  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

pretty  close  to  the  top  of  the  list,  Mr.  Drum- 
mond." 

The  operator  was  frightened  and  saw  plainly 
that  it  would  not  be  a  safe  i)iece  of  business  to 
make  an  enemy  of  Mr.  Gray  ;  he  knew  too 
much.  Besides,  he  was  one  of  the  richest 
planters  in  the  State,  and  such  men  always 
exerted  a  good  deal  of  influence  when  they  set 
about  it. 

"Of  course,  sir,  I  hope  it  will  work,"  Drum- 
mond  hastened  to  say,  "for  I  don't  want  to 
see  anybody  forced  into  the  army.  I  only 
said  I  was  afraid  it  Avouldn't." 

"I  understand.  Eed,  you  might  as  well 
start  now  as  any  time.  Go  and  say  good-by 
to  j^our  mother,  and  hurry  up  to  my  house.  I 
will  be  there  in  a  couple  of  hours,  and  after 
we  have  had  a  snack  we'll  ride  up  to  the 
farm." 

From  the  telegraph  office  Mr.  Gray  went  to 
Kiniberly's  store,  where  he  created  another 
commotion.  Tom  Randolph  was  there,  and  so 
were  some  of  the  Home  Guards,  who  had  of 
late  taken  to  sx)ending  all  their  waking  hours 
at  the  enrolling  office.     Captain  Tom  would 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND.  79 

have  protested  loudly  if  his  amazement  and 
chagrin  had  x:)ermitted  him  to  speak  at  all,  but 
Captain  Roach  had  no  objections  to  offer  when 
Mr.  Gray  told  him  that  he  would  have  to  find 
someone  to  take  Griffin's  place  in  the  first 
squad  of  conscripts  that  was  sent  to  the  camp 
of  instruction,  for  Griffin  himself  was  exempt 
under  the  law,  or  would  be  as  soon  as  he  had 
taken  his  new  position. 

"I  am  surprised  at  you,"  exclaimed  Tom 
when.  Mr.  Gray  had  mounted  his  horse  and 
galloped  away.  "You  mustn't  let  that  man 
Griffin  off;  you  can't.  Haven't  I  told  you 
that  he  is  Union? " 

"I  have  my  own  interests  to  look  out  for," 
replied  Captain  Roach  rather  sliari)ly,  "and 
consequently  I  cannot  afford  to  get  into  trou- 
ble with  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Gray.  He  didn't 
say  much,  nor  did  lie  bluster  at  all ;  but  I 
knew  by  the  glint  in  his  eye  that  there  was 
a  whole  battery  of  big  guns  behind  the  lit- 
tle he  did  say,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  turn 
them  loose  on  me  if  I  said  an  ugly  word  to 
him.  We  haven't  been  playing  square  since 
this  thing  began,  and   he   knows  it ;   and   if 


80  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEK. 

he  sliould  insist  on  having  a  new  deal  from 
the  poll-books,  with  your  list  of  names  thrown 
ont,  where  would  your  friend  Drummond 
be  ?  Where  would  you  be,  seeing  that  even 
Home  Guards  are  not  exempt  ?  " 

"I  just  don't  care;  and  that's  all  there  is 
about  it,"  whined  Tom,  who  was  mad  enough 
to  cry  if  lie  had  been  alone.  '"  They  ought  to 
be  exempt,  and  I  don't  see  why  those  Rich- 
mond fellows  left  them  out." 

"That's  neither  here  nor  there.  They  left 
them  out  ;  but  in  working  to  keej)  you  with 
me  I  have  practically  exempted  you,  and  that 
is  something  I  had  no  business  to  do.  I  can't 
imagine  where  Mr.  Gray  got  his  information, 
but  he  understands  all  this,  and  if  he  should 
report  me  to  the  Governor  I'd  have  to  join 
some  regiment  in  the  field  ;  and  that's  a  place 
I  want  to  keep  away  from  as  bad  as  you 
do." 

"  Well,  I  must  say  that  things  have  come  to 
a  pretty  pass  when  a  man  can  say  who  shall 
go  into  the  army  and  who  shall  not,  just  be- 
cause he  happens  to  have  a  little  money,"  de- 
clared Tom  sxHtefully. 


THE   conscript's   FRIEND,  81 

*' That's  the  way  the  thing  stands,  and  if 
you  want  to  stay  at  home  you  and  your  men 
had  better  be  doing  something." 

These  chance  words,  which  really  did  not 
mean  anything,  set  some  oi  the  Home  Guards 
to  thinking. 


CHA.PTER  ly. 

LIEUTENANT  LAMBERT'S   CAMPAIGN. 

OF  course  the  principal  topic  of  conversa- 
tion at  the  enrolling  office  during  the 
rest  of  the  day  was  Mr.  Gray's  unexpected  in- 
terference in  behalf  of  Ned  Griffin,  the  con- 
script. It  frightened  Captain  Roach,  enraged 
and  disgusted  Tom  Randolph,  and  put  Lieu- 
tenant Lambert  into  a  very  anxious  frame  of 
mind.  The  latter  was  obliged  to  confess  that 
his  chances  for  keejjing  out  of  the  army  were 
very  slim  indeed. 

"That's  the  way  the  thing  stands,  and  if 
you  w^ant  to  stay  at  home  you  and  your  men 
had  better  be  doing  something,"  he  kept  say- 
ing to  himself  as  he  galloped  along  the  dusty 
road  on  his  way  home.  It  was  easy  enough 
for  Captain  Roach  to  talk,  but  what  was  there 
that  the  Home  Guards  could  do  to  distinguish 
themselves,  seeing  that  the  Federal  troops  were 
so  secure  in  their  position  at  New  Orleans  that 

82 


LIEUTENANT  LAMBERT's   CAMPAIGN,         83 

the  whole  Confederate  Army  couki  not  drive 
them  out,  and  tliat  the  gunboats  in  the  river 
in  front  of  Baton  Rouge  could  not  be  whipped 
by  men  who  were  armed  only  with  squirrel 
rifles  and  shot  guns  ?  Lambert  had  been  turn- 
ing the  matter  over  in  his  mind  ever  since  Mr. 
Gray  left  the  enrolling  office  in  the  morning, 
and  now  he  did  something  which  he  had  de- 
clared he  never  would  do  as  long  as  he  lived. 
He  went  out  of  his  way  to  ask  the  advice  of 
a  Confederate  veteran  who  had  just  returned 
from  the  Army  of  the  Centre  disabled  by 
wounds  received  in  battle. 

There  were  several  of  these  crippled  veter- 
ans in  the  neighborhood,  and  they  had  been 
so  many  thorns  in  Tom  Randolph's  side  ever 
since  they  first  began  straggling  home  from 
the  front.  To  begin  with,  they  turned  up  their 
noses  at  the  Home  Guards,  and  made  all  man- 
ner of  sport  of  their  finely  uniformed  captain 
when  they  saw  him  riding  along  the  road  slyly 
XDi'icking  his  horse  with  his  spurs  to  make  the 
animal  prance  and  go  sideways,  as  an  officer's 
horse  ought  to  do.  Th«y  laughed,  too,  when 
they  heard  the  Home  Guards  tell  of  their  fight 


84  RODXEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

with  that  gunboat,  and  some  of  them  went  so 
far  as  to  declare  that,  disabled  as  they  were 
and  half  dead  with  camp  fever  besides,  they 
could  arm  themselves  Avith  corn-stalks  and 
drive  Tom  Randolph  and  his  warriors  into  the 
Mississippi  River. 

In  the  next  place,  almost  all  these  veterans 
had  brought  home  with  them  a  goodly  supply 
of  Yankee  relics  and  trophies  in  the  shape  of 
uniform  coats,  pants,  caps,  and  overcoats  that 
had  been  picked  up  on  the  field,  and  which, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  tliey  seemed  anxious 
to  get  off  their  hands.  So  they  offered  them 
to  the  Home  Guards  in  exchange  for  citizens' 
clothing  of  equal  or  less  value,  and  the  latter 
were  always  found  willing  to  trade.  Captain 
Tom  was  disgusted  and  angry  when  first  one 
man  and  then  another  appeared  at  the  enroll- 
ing office  clad  in  some  portion  of  a  shabby 
uniform  that  had  once  belonged  to  a  Federal 
trooper  or  infantry-man,  and  ordered  the  wear- 
ers to  clear  out  and  never  come  there  again 
unless  they  could  come  properly  dressed  ;  but 
the  Home  Guards  paid  no  sort  of  attention  to 
him.     They  were  soldiers,  they  said,  and  since 


LIEUTENANT  LAMBERT'S   CAMPAIGN.         85 

their  own  government  did  not  think  enough  of 
them  to  provide  them  with  uniforms  they  felt 
at  liberty  to  obtain  them  where  they  could. 
Besides,  their  new  clothes,  even  though  they 
were  well  worn  and  had  once  belonged  to 
Lincoln's  hirelings,  were  warm  and  comfort- 
able, and  the  blue  overcoats  would  keep  out 
next  winter's  cold  as  effectually  as  gray 
ones.  Much  against  his  will  Tom  finally  ap- 
pealed to  the  enrolling  officer  ;  but  the  latter 
could  not  help  him,  for  he  had  no  authority 
over  the  Home  Guards. 

"But  you  might  threaten  to  conscript  them 
if  they  don't  obey  my  oi'ders,"  suggested 
Tom. 

"I"  shouldn't  like  to  do  it  for  a  little  thing 
like  that,"  replied  Captain  Roach.  "They've 
got  the  uniforms,  and  I  don't  see  how  you 
are  going  to  keep  them  from  wearing  them. 
What  difference  does  it  make,  anyway  ?  You 
don't  have  to  go  on  dress  parade." 

"No  matter  for  that,"  replied  Tom.  "I 
didn't  enter  the  service  to  command  a  lot  of 
Yankees,  and  I  won't  do  it.  Suppose  a  gen- 
eral officer  should  happen  along  and  order 


86  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEKR. 

tliem  out  for  drill  and  inspection  !  I'd  feel  so 
ashamed  of  myself  that  I  know  I  should  take 
to  my  heels." 

"Make  your  mind  easy  on  that  score,"  was 
the  captain's  answer.  "If  you  don't  take  to 
your  heels  until  that  ha^ipens  you  will  never 
run.  Judging  from  what  I  have  learned  since 
I  have  been  here,  the  government  cares  no 
more  for  companies  of  this  kind  than  it  does 
for  so  many  wild  hogs  in  the  woods.  If  it 
were  not  for  you  and  your  mother  I  would 
conscript  the  last  one  of  them." 

"  But  what  do  you  suppose  makes  the  re- 
turned veterans  so  anxious  to  get  rid  of  these 
Yankee  uniforms  and  things?"  continued 
Tom.  "  It  looks  to  me  as  though  there  might 
be  something  back  of  it." 

"That's  the  way  it  looks  to  me,  too,"  re- 
plied Cax)tain  Roach.  "They  don't  want  to 
liave  a  Yankee  scouting  party  ride  up  on  them 
suddenly  and  say  :  '  Look  here,  Johnny ;  have 
you  been  robbing  some  wounded  or  captive 
Yank  ?  If  not,  where  did  you  get  those  blue 
clothes?'" 

"  But  the  Yankees  are  not  here,"  cried  Tom. 


LIEUTENANT  LAMBEKT'S   CAMPAIGN.         87 

"I  know  they  are  not  here  now,  but  they're 
coming  ;  and  if  they  keep  on  besting  us  at 
every  point,  as  they  are  doing  at  this  minute, 
they  will  be  here  before  long,  too.  You 
needn't  think  that  Farragut  is  going  to  remain 
idle  down  the  river,  or  that  Fiag-OfScer  Davis 
is  going  to  keep  on  doing  nothing  up  the  river 
while  we  are  fortifying  Vicksburg.  There's 
going  to  be  fun  here  one  of  these  days." 

And  sure  enough  there  was.  It  came  much 
sooner  than  Captain  Roach  had  any  reason  to 
think  it  would,  and  Lieutenant  Lambert  of  the 
Home  Guards,  whom  we  saw  on  his  way  to 
ask  advice  of  a  Confederate  veteran,  was  the 
man  who  did  the  most  to  help  it  along.  He 
found  the  soldier  of  whom  he  was  in  search 
at  his  home.  He  was  sitting  on  the  gallery 
enjoying  his  after  supper  smoke  ;  but  when 
he  saw  the  Home  Guard  alight  at  his  gate 
lie  staggered  to  his  feet,  laid  hold  of  the 
crutch  that  leaned  against  the  house  behind 
his  chair,  and  said,  in  mock  alarm  : 

"The  man  you  want  to  see  don't  live  here 
no  more.  He  done  moved  outen  the  country 
two  year  ago  come  next  July.     Clear  yourself. 


88  KODNEY,  THE   OVEIiSKER. 

I'm  tliat  skeared  of  gray-back  soldiers  that  I 
can't  sleep  none  fur  a  week  after  seein'  one  of 
'em." 

"Aw  !  Quit  your  nonsense,"  growled  Lam- 
bert, "or,  by  gum!  I'll  come  there  and  lick 
ye  even  if  you  aint  got  but  one  leg  to  defend 
yourself  with."  He  hitched  his  horse  at  the 
fence,  shook  hands  with  the  veteran,  then 
seated  himself  on  the  porch  close  by  his  chair 
and  continued:  "Me  and  you  have  always 
been  the  best  kind  of  friends,  Abner,  and  I 
don't  want  you  to  sniff  at  me  just  kase  you've 
been  shot  by  the  Yankees  and  I  aint." 

"  I  won't,  Sile  ;  I  won't  never  do  tlie  like  no 
more.  But  a  Home  Guard !  And  lickin'  a 
gunboat  that's  got  'leven  inches  of  iron  on  her 
sides  and  four  foot  of  solid  oak  back  of  that, 
with  nothing  in  the  wide  world  but  pop- 
guns !  "  said  the  veteran,  taking  his  j^ipe  from 
his  mouth  to  indulge  in  a  hearty  peal  of 
laughter.  '■''  And  Tom  Randolph  fur  a  cai)'n. 
That  there  is  a  leetle  tlie  worst  I  ever  heard  of. 
Hey-youp  !  Steady  on  the  left  centre!"  he 
yelled,  dropping  his  crutch  upon  the  gallery 
and  grasping  with  both  hands  the  stump  of 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBEUT's   CAMPAIGN.         89 

his  leg,  wliicli  he  had  wrenched  a  little  too 
severely  during  his  paroxysms  of  merriment. 
"  I  almost  disremembered  that  I  aint  got  only 
part  of  a  leg  on  this  side.  I  left  the  rest  up  to 
Shiloh.  I'm  glad  to  see  you  again,  Sile  ;  I 
am  so.  But  I  would  be  a  heap  gladder  if  me 
and  you  had  chawed  hard-tack  and  fit  the 
Yanks  together.  Then  you  wouldn't  be  no 
such  triflin'  thing  as  a  Home  Guard." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  fight  no  Yanks,"  said 
Lambert  truthfully. 

"  Don' t  you  want  to  fight  no  Yanks  ?  Well, 
I  don't  know's  I'm  blamin'  you  fur  that. 
They  aint  by  no  means  the  easy  fellers  to 
lick  that  we  uns  thought  they  was  goin'  to. 
be,  and  when  they  set  up  that  yell  of  theirn  to 
let  we  uns  know  they  was  com  in'  fur  us — I  tell 
you,  Sile,  my  hair  always  riz  when  I  heard 
that  yell,  and  I  wisht  I  was  to  home  grab- 
blin'  fur  taters." 

"  Then  what  makes  you  poke  fun  at  me 
fur?"  demanded  Lambert.  "I  am  to  home 
now  and  I  want  to  stay;  but  Cap'n  Roach 
he  allows  that  if  we  uns  don' t  do  something 
pretty  sudden  we're  liable  to  be  conscriiDted." 


90  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"Like  enougli.  Then  why  don't  you  uns 
do  something?" 

"  That's  what  I  come  here  to  see  you  about. 
What  is  they,  I'd  like  to  know,  that  we  can 
do  ?  If  the  Yanks  would  only  come  where  we 
be  [you  will  notice  that  Lambert  did  not  say 
"  Yankees"  any  more.  He  copied  the  veteran 
and  used  the  shorter  word],  we  uns  could 
show  the  folks  about  here  that  we  Home 
Guards  aint  by  no  means  the  useless  truck 
they  take  us  to  be  ;  but  we  can't  go  all  the 
way  to  New  Orleans  far  the  sake  of  fightin' 
'em." 

"You  uns  will  see  Yanks  enough  if  you 
stay  right  where  you  be,"  said  the  veteran, 
with  another  laugh.  "  I  aint  spilin'  fur  a 
sight  at  any  more  of  'em,  but  all  the  same  I 
look  to  see  them  ridin'  right  along  this  road 
while  I  am  settin'  on  my  gallery  watchin'  of 
'em.  They  aint  come  this  clost  to  Mooreville 
to  go  away  without  seein'  it.  They're  hop- 
pin'  us  right  along,  and  we  had  oughter 
be  whopped." 

"Now,  just  listen  at  you  !"  said  Lambert 
reproachfully. 


LIEUTENANT  LAMBERT' S   CAMPAIGN.  91 

"I'm  only  tellin'  you  what  I  know,"  said 
the  veteran  in  earnest  tones.  "Look  at  the 
way  they're  doin'  !  When  the  law  was  passed 
that  everybody  must  be  conscripted,  why 
didn't  they  go  to  work  and  conscript  every- 
body ?  Why  didn't  they  put  the  old  soldiers 
ahead  and  shove  the  Johnny  Raws  into  the 
ranks  ?  Steader  that  they  let  the  old  soldiers 
stay  in  the  ranks,  and  put  over  them  fur  offi- 
cers a  lot  of  new  chaps  who  couldn't  a' told 
a  Yank  from  a  ground-hog  if  they  had  seed 
the  two  standin'  in  one  place.  We  uns  aint  a' 
goin'  to  whop  nobody  with  a  lot  of  greenhorns 
to  command  us,  and  although  I  aint  by  no 
means  glad  to  go  hobblin'  through  the  world 
on  one  leg,  I  am  mighty  glad  of  an  excuse  to 
get  outen  the  army.  Now,  there's  that  there 
Rodney  Gray." 

"By  gum  !  I  wish  he  was  here  to  be  con- 
scripted," exclaimed  Lambert. 

The  veteran  took  his  pipe  from  his  mouth, 
blew  a  cloud  of  smoke  into  the  air,  and  looked 
at  his  companion  with  an  expression  on  his 
face  which  seemed  to  say  that  he  did  not  know 
whether  to  laugh  or  get  angry.     But   finally 


92  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

he  concluded  to  laugh,  and  he  did  so  most  up- 
roariously, rolling  about  on  his  chair  as  if  he 
were  in  danger  of  falling  out  of  it,  but  all  the 
while  taking  good  care  not  to  give  his  wounded 
leg  another  wrench. 

"Why,  man,  he's  a  soldier,  Rodney  is,"  he 
said  as  soon  as  he  could  speah,  "  and  a  mighty 
good  one,  too.  He's  been  in  more  battles 
than  me,  and  that's  useless.  He  fit  all  through 
Missoury  with  Daddy  Price,  and  then  they 
brung  him  over  to  the  Army  of  the  Centre, 
and  that's  where  I  seen  him.  They  wanted 
to  make  a  big  officer  of  him,  but  Rodney  he 
wouldn't  have  it  so,  kase  he's  plum  sick  of 
the  war,  same  as  I  be,  and  allows  to  come 
home  soon's  his  extry  three  months  is  out. 
You  can't  tech  Rodney  Gray." 

"I  know  that  well  enough,  but  I  wish  we 
could.     You  see,  Tom  Randolx>h " 

"You  needn't  say  no  more,"  laughed  the 
veteran.  "  Rodney  got  an  office  in  Cap'n 
Hubbard's  Rangers  and  Tom  didn't,  and  Tom 
is  mad  about  it  and  wants  to  spite  Rodney  in 
some  way.  But  he  can't  do  it,  and  if  he  tries 
it  ole  man  Gray  will  make  him  wish  he  hadn'  t." 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBERT' S   CAMPAIGN.         93 

"And  ole  man  Gray  is  another  chap  I'd 
like  mighty  well  to  see  sent  to  the  front,"  ex- 
claimed Lambert  angrily;  "  but  we  can't  touch 
him  neither.  He  showed  his  hand  when  he 
come  into  the  office  this  morning  and  told 
Eoach  that  he'd  have  to  let  that  Griffin  boy 
go  free,  kase  he  allowed  to  buy  him  off  with 
bacon  and  beef  ;  and  Roach  was  that  skeared 
that  he  dassent  open  his  mouth." 

"  What  was  he  skeared  of?  " 

"That  ole  man  Gray  would  report  him  fur 
leavin'  the  names  of  Tom  Randolph's  friends 
off'n  the  conscript  list,  when  he  had  oughter 
put  them  on  like  he  found  them  in  the  poll- 
books." 

"Like  enough,"  replied  Abner.  "And  then 
you  and  Tom  Randolph  and  all  the  rest  of 
the  Home  Guards  would  have  stood  as  line 
a  chance  of  goin'  to  the  front  as  Ned  Griffin. 
It  would  serve  you  just  right  fur  trainin'  under 
such  a  no  account  cap'n  as  you  have  got. 
Why  don't  you  cut  loose  from  him  and  do 
something  on  your  own  hook?'  That  would 
be  me  if  I  was  you." 

"'Taint  safe,"  rex^lied  Lambert,   who  had 


94  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

not  yet  forgotten  that  lie  brought  himself  into 
trouble  the  last  time  he  tried  to  do  something 
on  his  own  hook.  "Somehow  our  folks  have 
got  to  be  mighty  tender  of  the  Union  men 
about  here  and  don't  like  to  have  them  pes- 
tered." 

"  You  let  your  Union  neighbors  alone  and 
pester  them  that's  got  we' pons  into  their 
hands,"  said  the  veteran  indignantly.  "You 
uns  aint  got  no  call  to  fight  them  that  can't 
fight  back  ;  but  there's  them  gunboats  down 
to  the  river." 

"  Well,  what  of  'em  ?"  demanded  Lambert, 
trembling  at  the  bare  thought  of  again  ven- 
turing within  gunshot  of  one  of  those  black 
monsters.  "  They've  got  cannons  on  'em,  and 
they  shoot  balls  bigger' n  your  head.  Don't  I 
know  ?  Aint  I  been  in  a  fight  with  one  of 
'em?" 

"Shucks!"  sneered  Abner.  "You  stand 
about  as  much  chance  of  bein'  hit  by  one  of 
them  big  balls  as  you  do  of  bein'  struck  by 
lightnin'.  I  have  seed  me  on  the  skirmish  line 
lyin'  fur  hours  behind  a  stump  that  wasn't  no 
bigger' n  a  plug  hat,  while  shell  and  solid  shot 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBEUT's  CAMPAIGN.         95 

was  teariu'  up  the  ground  all  around  me. 
They  don't  do  damage  once  a  week  less'n 
they're  drapped  into  a  line  of  battle  or  into  a 
fort  that  is  packed  full  of  men." 

"But  how  can  we  lick  'leven  inches  of  iron 
and  four  foot  of  solid  oak?"  protested  Lam- 
bert. 

"Shucks!"  exclaimed  the  veteran.  "I 
aint  talkin'  about  lickin'  on  'em.  I'm  talkin' 
about  pesterin'  of  'em — drivin'  their  row-boats 
back  when  they  start  to  come  to  the  shore,  and 
pickin'  off  the  officers  as  fast  as  they  come 
outen  their  holes  in  the  cabin.  You  uns  could 
lay  behind  the  levee  and  do  that,  and  be  as 
safe  as  you  be  to  home  ;  kase  the  shells  they 
would  send  at  you  would  all  fly  over  your 
heads,  and  when  they  bu'st  they  would  be  a 
mile  to  your  rear." 

The  lieutenant  of  the  Home  Guards  was 
overjoyed  to  hear  these  encouraging  words  fall 
from  the  lips  of  a  man  vi'ho  had  faced  the 
Yankees  in  battle  and  knew  what  he  was  talk- 
ing about.  He  had  given  his  friend  Abner  to 
understand  that  he  was  one  of  the  few  who 
followed  Captain  Tom  when  the  latter  rode 


96  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEE. 

out  witli  a  handful  of  brave  men  to  see  if  the 
Union  Army  was  advancing  upon  Mooreville 
from  Baton  Rouge,  but  there  was  not  a  word 
of  truth  in  his  story.  He  was  one  of  the  ma- 
jority wiio  excused  themselves  and  stayed 
behind,  and  all  he  knew  about  that  desperate 
fight  with  the  gunboat  and  the  concealed  bat- 
tery that  opened  on  the  rear  of  the  Home 
Guards  was  what  his  comrades  told  him.  The 
veteran  did  not  seem  to  think  that  the  big 
guns  on  the  war  vessels  were  so  very  danger- 
ous, and  Lambert  began  to  pluck  uj)  courage. 

"  'Pears  to  me  that  Cap'n  Roach  said  some- 
thing like  that  the  first  time  I  talked  with 
him,"  said  the  latter. 

"  Like  enough  ;  and  if  he  did  you  can  bet 
that  thnt  is  what  he  would  do  if  he  had  as 
many  Home  Guards  under  his  command  as 
you  have  got.  I  can't  fur  the  life  of  me  see 
what  makes  them  Baton  Rouge  folks  so  very 
friendly  with  the  Yanks,  anyhow.  They  take 
'em  into  their  houses  and  visit  with  'em,  and 
feed  'em,  dog-gone  it  all,  and  I  say  such 
doings  aint  right.  If  ole  Daddy  Bragg  was 
here  fur  about  five  minutes  he'd  put  a  stop  to 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBKRT'S    CAMPAIGN.  97 

all  that  friendship  business,  I  bet  yon,  and 
like  as  not  he'd  have  some  of  you  Home 
Guards  shot  fur  lettin'  it  go  on  as  long  as  it 
has.  Anyway,  he'd  kick  Tom  Randolph  into 
the  ranks  and  put  a  soldier  in  his  place. 
That's  the  way  they  do  things  up  in  the  Army 
of  the  Centre." 

The  result  of  this  interview^  was  that  when 
Lieutenant  Lambert  took  leave  of  the  veteran 
and  rode  home  to  a  late  supper  he  was  fully 
satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  Tom  Randolph 
was  totally  unfit  for  the  responsible  position  he 
held,  that  the  Home  Guards,  wdio  under  proper 
leadership  might  have  made  themselves  known 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
Confederacy,  had  been  kept  in  check  too  long 
already,  and  that  he  (Lambert),  being  second  in 
command  of  the  company,  had  a  perfect  right 
to  take  matters  into  his  own  hands  without 
saying  a  word  to  anybody  about  it.  But  it 
was  a  somewhat  delicate  task,  he  told  himself. 
Although  Lambert  looked  upon  the  friendly 
relations  existing  between  the  crews  of  the 
Union  war  vessels  and  the  Baton  Rouge  people 
as  a  burning  disgrace,  he  did  not  relish  the 

7 


98  EODNEY,  THE   OVEKSEER. 

idea  of  trying  to  bring  them  to  an  end,  for  the 
citizens  might  not  like  it,  and,  worse  than  that, 
they  might  make  liim  trouble  on  account  of 
it ;  but  something  must  be  done  or  he  would 
be  compelled  to  go  into  the  army,  seeing  that 
he  had  no  rich  and  influential  friend  like  Mr. 
Gray  to  purchase  his  release  with  bacon  and 
beef.  So  Lambert's  mind  was  made  up,  and 
before  he  reached  home  his  campaign  was  fulJy 
planned. 

"I'll  raise  a  big  squad  and  start  for  the  city 
to-morrow  night,"  he  soliloquized,  flourishing 
his  riding-switch  in  the  air  to  give  emphasis  to 
his  thoughts.  "And  if  I  once  gain  a  footing 
beliind  the  levee  I'll  j^ut  a  stop  to  that  friend- 
ship business,  I  bet  you.  I'll  give  the  folks 
to  understand  that  we  uns  don't  like  the  way 
tliey're  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemies 
of  their  country,  and  make  them  Yankee  gun- 
boatmen  stay  on  board  their  ships  where  they 
belong.  I'll  take  i^ains,  too,  to  see  that  the 
Gov' nor  hears  of  it,  and  x)erliaps  he'll  say  that 
I  had  ought  to  be  cap'n  of  the  Home  Guards 
in  place  of  Tom  Randolph." 

That  was  an  encournoing  thouiiht,  and  the 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBERT' S   CAMPAIGN.         99 

longer  Lambert  dwelt  upon  it  the  more  excited 
he  became.  He  did  not  sleep  much  that  niglit, 
and  after  an  early  breakfast  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  through  the  country  to  muster 
his  men  ;  but  as  fast  as  he  found  them  and  un- 
folded to  them  the  details  of  his  campaign  he 
was  met  by  the  same  excuses  and  refusals  that 
Tom  Randolph  had  vainly  tried  to  combat. 
The  fighting  member  of  the  company,  the  one 
who  was  alvv^ays  eager  to  shoot  or  hang  the  de- 
fenceless Union  men  he  assisted  in  robbing, 
was  feeling  so  very  poorly  on  this  i^articular 
morning  that  he  was  thiidiing  strongly  of  rid- 
ing over  to  a  neighbor's  to  see  if  he  could  not 
borrow  a  dose  or  two  of  quinine  ;  the  second' 
had  promised  to  go  to  a  log  rolling  ;  the  third 
had  a  lame  horse  and  didn't  rightly  know 
where  he  could  go  to  get  another  ;  and  not 
more  than  three  or  four  out  of  the  fifty  men 
whom  Lambert  summoned  to  follow  him  to 
Baton  Rouge  had  the  courage  and  honesty  to 
tell  him  that  they  did  not  like  to  do  it. 

"I  wouldn't  mind  hiding  behind  the  levee 
and  shooting  a  few  Yankees,"  said  Lieutenant 
Moseley,  "but  they'll  shoot  back,  and  like  as 


100  llODNEY,  THE    OVEKSEER. 

not  that'll  make  the  Baton  Ronge  folks  mad 
at  us.  Ask  somebody  else.  You  can  get  all 
the  men  you  want  and  I  don't  reckon  I'll  go." 

Whenever  a  Home  Guard  talked  to  him  in 
this  way  Lambert  always  said  in  reply  : 

"Well,  then,  if  you  don't  want  to  go  and 
win  a  name  fur  yourself  you  can  stay  to  home 
till  Roach  gets  ready  to  conscript  you.  If  you 
were  in  Kimberly's  store  yesterday  you  must 
have  seen  fur  a  fact  that  we  uns  aint  safe 
from  going  into  the  army  just  kase  Ave  happen 
to  belong  to  the  Home  Guards.  Cap'n  Roach 
he  has  said  time  and  again  that  we  was  liable 
to  go  if  we  didn't  wake  up  and  do  something, 
and  that  if  he  had  been  our  commander  he 
wouldn't  have  let  them  city  people  get  on  such 
amazing  good  terms  with  the  Yanks.  Le's  go 
down  there  and  make  'em  quit  it  right  now, 
and  say  nothing  to  nobody  till  the  thing  is 
done.  Remember,  I  don't  ask  every  man,  but 
only  just  them  that  we  want  to  have  stay  in 
the  company.  When  we  get  back  I'll  give 
Cap'n  Roach  a  list  of  them  that  went  with  me, 
and  if  he  wants  to  conscript  the  others — them 
that  was  afraid  to  face  the  enemies  of  their 


LIEUTEN-ANT   LAMBERT'.S    CAMPAIGN.        101 

country — and  send  tliera  to  the  camp  of  in- 
struction, he  can  do  it  and  welcome.  Now, 
what  do  3^ou  say  V 

It  was  by  the  use  of  such  arguments  as  these 
tliat  Lieutenant  Lambert  succeeded  in  inducing 
soniQ  of  his  particular  friends  to  believe  that 
it  might  be  policy  for  them  to  join  his  expe- 
dition, and  that  night  they  secretly  gathered 
at  a  designated  place  outside  the  town  and 
started  for  Baton  Rouge.  When  they  arrived 
within  sight  of  the  church  spires  at  daylight 
they  did  not  attract  attention  to  themselves 
by  entering  the  city  in  a  body,  for  Lambert 
was  afraid  that  some  Union  man  or  converted 
rebel  might  suspect  the  object  of  their  visit 
and  interfere  with  their  designs  by  signalling 
to  the  fleet.  They  separated  and  went  in  by 
different  roads  and  in  small  parties,  and  came 
together  again  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
landing  at  which  the  boats  from  the  fleet  al- 
ways touched  the  shore,  taking  care  to  leave 
their  horses  behind  some  warehouses  out  of 
sight. 

"Now  be  careful,  everybody,"  commanded 
Lambert,  placing  a  fresh  cap  on  his  rifle  and 


102  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

waving  his  hand  toward  the  levee  as  a  signal 
to  his  men  to  advance  and  conceal  themselves 
behind  it.  "  We  can't  do  'em  no  damage  from 
hero — it's  too  fur;  so  we  must  wait  till  some 
of  their  row-boats  come  off." 

The  Home  Guards  bent  themselves  almost 
double  and  stole  across  the  clear  space  that 
intervened  between  the  warehouses  and  the 
levee  ;  and  so  cautious  Avere  they  in  their 
movements  that  the  quartermasters  on  watch 
on  the  decks  of  the  different  gunboats,  who 
were  constantly  sweeping  the  banks  on  both 
sides  of  the  liver  with  their  long-distance  sj^y- 
glasses,  saw  no  signs  of  them,  and  so  silent 
that  when  they  crept  to  the  top  of  the  levee 
on  their  hands  and  knees  and  looked  over  it, 
the  negroes  gathered  at  the  landing  below  did 
not  know  that  there  was  anyone  near  them. 
There  w^ere  probably  a  dozen  men,  women,  and 
children  in  the  group,  and  they  were  lying  at 
their  ease  on  the  ground  or  Avalking  slowly 
back  and  forth  ;  but  all  of  them  turned  their 
gaze  toward  the  gunboats  now  and  then,  as 
if  they  were  waiting  for  somebody  to  come 
ashore.     There  were  several  covered   baskets 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBERT'' S    CAMPAIGN.        103 

and  pails  near  by,  and  the  siglit  of  them  was 
enough  to  enrage  Lieutenant  Lambert,  who 
whispered  to  the  man  who  lay  next  him  be- 
hind the  levee: 

"  Pass  the  word  along  the  line  fur  everybody 
to  keep  under  kiver.  We've  ketched  them 
niggers  red-handed  in  the  very  act,  fur  there's 
grub  in  them  buckets  and  things  ;  now  you 
just  watch  and  see  if  there  aint."  Then  he 
raised  his  voice  a  little  and  said  to  the  nearest 
darkey:  ^'What  you  folks  doing  there? 
Who  5^ou  looking  fur?" 

"Waiting  for  Mr.  Wilcox,  sah,"  was  the 
negro's  prompt  answer.  He  looked  up  and 
saw  two  or  three  heads  above  the  top  of  the 
levee,  but  thought  nothing  of  it.  There  were 
a  good  many  whites  in  Baton  Rouge  who  did 
not  dare  show  themselves  as  freely  to  the 
Yankee  sailors  as  the  i)eople  of  his  own  color 
did. 

*' Who's  Mr.  Wilcox?"  demanded  Lam- 
bert. 

"He's  de  cater  ob  de  steerage  mess,  sah; 
de  man  what  buj^s  de  breakfus'  fur  some  of  de 
officers  on  dat  fust  boat,"  was  the  reply  ;  and 


104  nODNEY,  THE   OYEIISEER. 

altliongli  Lambert  did  not  understand  tlie 
words  any  better  tlian  the  negro  did  himself, 
he  gathered  from  them  the  idea  that  some- 
body on  the  gunboat  would  come  ashore  for 
his  breakfast  very  shortly,  and  that  he  and 
his  warriors  had  reached  the  levee  Just  in  the 
nick  of  time. 

This  cheering  intelligence  was  passed  along 
the  line  in  a  whisper,  and  the  Honie  Guards 
pulled  off  their  hats  and  were  settling  them- 
selves into  comfortable  positions  behind  the 
levee  to  await  the  coming  of  the  caterer's  boat, 
when  they  were  startled  by  hearing  someone 
close  beside  them  say,  in  frightened  and  pro- 
testing tones  : 

"  Gentlemen,  gentlemen,  what  are  you  going 
to  do?" 

Lambert  faced  quickly  around  and  saw 
a  couple  of  citizens  standing  at  the  base  of 
the  levee  where  they  could  observe  all  that 
was  being  done  by  the  Home  Guards  ;  but 
Avliether  they  had  come  upon  his  ambush  by 
accident  or  design  the  lieutenant  did  not 
know  or  care  to  ask.  He  saw  the  necessity 
for  prompt  action. 


LIEUTENANT    L A:\rBEKT' S   CAMPAIGxV.        105 

"  Scroocli  down  right  AA-here  you  stand,  so 
that  the  Yanks  can't  see  yon,"  lie  com- 
manded. 

"  But  what  are  you  gentlemen  going  to  do  1 " 
inquired  one  of  the  citizens,  both  of  Avliom 
obeyed  Lambert's  order  and  sank  upon  their 
heels  Avitli  alacrity  when  they  saw  the  black 
muzzles  of  three  or  four  double-barrels  swing- 
ing in  their  direction, 

"Well,  if  you  can't  see  fur  yourselves  Avliat 
Ave  uns  are  going  to  do  I  reckon  I'll  have  to 
tell  you,"  replied  the  lieutenant  of  the  Home 
Guards,  turning  part  Avay  around  so  that  he 
could  Avatcli  both  negroes  and  citizens  at  the 
same  time,  and  see  that  no  signals  passed 
from  them  to  the  fleet.  "We're  goin'  to 
break  up  the  visitin'  and  tradin'  that's  been 
going  on  betAveen  this  toAvn  and  the  Yanks  till 
we  are  teetotally  sick  and  tired  of  it.  The 
folks  back  in  the  country,  aa'Iio  are  all  good 
Confederits,  don't  like  it;  and  me  and  my 
men  have  come  in  here  to  say  so  in  a  Avay  that 
both  you  and  the  Yanks  Avill  understand." 

"Merciful  Heaven!"  exclaimed  the  man, 
who  seemed  to  be  almost  overcome  with  as- 


lOG  RODNEY,  THE   OVEKSEER. 

tonislimeiit  and  alarm.  "  You  are  not  going 
to  lire  into  those  war  vessels  ?  " 

"  What's  the  reason  I  aint  ?  "  said  Lambert 
coolly.  ''  You  just  wait  till  one  of  their  row- 
boats  starts  to  come  ashore  and  I'll  show  you." 

"But   consider  for  a   moment "    began 

the  citizen,  his  excitement  bringing  him  to 
his  feet. 

"Down  you  go  again,"  interrupted  Lam- 
bert, drawing  his  cocked  rifle  to  his  shoulder. 
"  We  uns  have  considered  the  whole  business. 
We  know  that  we  caii't  hurt  'leven  inches  of 
iron  and  four  foot  of  solid  oak  back  of  that 
with  we'pons  like  these  we've  got,  but  we 
can  make  them  blue-jackets  mighty  juber- 
some  about  comin'  ashore  and  being  so  very 
friendly  with  you  Baton  Rouge  folks  ;  and 
that's  what  we  allow  to  do." 

"  In  the  name  of  God  and  humanity  I  jiro- 
test  against  such  an  outrage  !  "  said  one  of 
the  men,  whose  pale  face  and  firmly  set  lips 
showed  that  he  would  not  have  stopped  with 
a  mere  protest  if  he  had  possessed  the  power 
to  do  anything  else. 

"  You  must  not  think  of  it,  you  madman  !  " 


LIEUTENANT   LAMBERT' S   CAMPAIGN".        107 

cried  the  other.  "Don't  you  know  that  the 
boats  will  return  your  fire,  and  that  thej^  can 
knock  our  town  to  pieces  witli  a  single  broad- 
side ?  There  is  no  telling  how  many  innocent 
women  and  children  will  be  killed  or  maimed 
through  your  act  of  folly." 

"Well,  then,  why  didn't  you  think  of  all 
them  things  before  you  made  friends  with 
the  enemies  of  your  country?"  answered 
Lambert.  "But  the  gunboats  won't  fire  on 
women  and  children.  Leastways  they  didn't 
in  N"ew  Orleans,  and  the  folks  in  that  burg 
were  about  as  sassy  as  they  could  well  be." 

"If  you  are  determined  to  carry  your  crazy 
scheme  into  execution,  I  beg  that  you  will  give 
us  a  little  time  to  remove  our  families  to  a 
place  of  safety  before  you  begin,"  said  one  of 
the  citizens  as  he  and  his  companion  arose  to 
their  feet  and  turned  to  go  away. 

"  Not  much  as  anybody  knows  of,  I  won't," 
replied  Lambert  in  savage  tones. 

"Just  five  minutes,"  pleaded  the  citizen. 
"Perhaps  we  can  take  our  wives  and  little 
ones  into  the  cellar  before  you  will  find  it  nec- 
essary to  oj)en  fire." 


108  RODNEY,  THE   OVEUSEER. 

"N'ot  one  minnte — not  one  second  nor  a  half 
of  one,"  snarled  the  lieutenant,  once  more 
raising  his  weapon  to  his  shoulder.  "I  aint 
a-goin'  to  have  you  shakin'  a  handkercher  at 
them  boats  to  warn  the  Yanks  that  there's 
something  wrong  here  behind  the  levee.  You 
just  squat  down  where  you  are  till  this  thing 
is  over,  and  then  you  can  go  any  place  jou 
please." 

"Watch  out,  Sile,"  said  one  of  the  Home 
Guards  suddenly.  "  There  comes  that  feller 
after  his  grub." 

Lieutenant  Lambert  flopped  over  on  his  face 
as  if  he  had  been  shot,  and  saw  a  small  boat, 
with  four  men  at  the  oars  and  two  officers  sit- 
ting in  tlie  stern-sheets,  come  into  view  from 
behind  one  of  the  war  vessels  and  turn  toward 
the  landing. 

The  time  for  him  to  Avin  a  name  for  himself 
had  arrived. 


CHAPTER  y. 

HOW   IT    RESULTED. 

I  WOULDN'T  take  ten  gold  dollars  fur  my 
chance  of  being  made  cap'n  of  this  com- 
pany of  Home  Guards,  who  Avould  have  been 
conscripted  to  the  last  man  if  it  hadn't  been 
fur  me,"  thought  Lieutenant  Lambert  as  he 
rolled  over  on  his  face  and  watched  the  cutter 
rounding  the  stern  of  the  nearest  war  vessel. 
"Look  Avild,  there!"  he  Avhispered  almost 
tiercel}^  to  his  men.  "  Be  sure  and  hold  your 
fire  till  they  come  clost  in  to  the  shore  so  that 
every  shot  will  tell.  I  don't  Avant  to  hear 
another  word-outen  you  two,"  he  went  on,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  the  citizens,  who  implored 
him  to  stop  where  he  was  and  not  bring 
destruction  upon  their  town  and  death  to 
innocent  people  in  it,  as  he  surely  would  do 
if  he  commanded  his  Home  Guards  to  fire 
upon  that  unarmed  boat.  "  You're  too  big 
cowards  to  fight  the  enemy  yourselves,  and  so 

109 


110  EODNEY,  THE   OVEKSEER. 

we  uns  had  to  come  in  here  and  do  it  fur  yon. 
Hold  steady,  everybody  !  " 

Although  Lambert's  men  were  all  hunters 
and  good  shots,  they  were  not  disciplined  sol- 
diers, and  that  was  all  that  saved  the  cutter  s 
crew  from  annihilation.  They  would  have 
been  steady  enough  if  they  had  been  in  the 
woods  watching  a  runway  for  deer,  but  Avatcli- 
ing  for  Yankees  was  a  different  matter  alto- 
gether ;  and  just  as  the  Home  Guards  had 
pushed  their  guns  over  the  top  of  the  levee, 
making  use  of  every  clod  and  piece  of  drift- 
wood and  inequality  of  the  ground  that  came 
handy  for  a  screen,  and  Lieutenant  Lambert 
was  cautiously  lifting  his  head  to  observe  the 
j)rogress  the  small  boat  was  making  toward 
the  landing,  a  deafening  roar  rang  in  his  ear, 
and  the  man  at  his  side  sprang  to  his  feet, 
stood  bewildered  for  a  moment,  and  then 
dropped  back  to  his  place  again.  In  pushing 
his  double-barrel  over  the  levee  with  nervous 
hands  the  valorous  Home  Guard  had  acci- 
dentally discharged  the  piece,  and  the  unex- 
pected report  frightened  him  and  threw  his 
comrades  into  some  confusion.     For  an  instant 


HOW    IT   RESULTED.  Ill 

or  two  a  few  of  them  looked  and  acted  as 
though  tliey  wanted  to  take  to  their  heels  ; 
but  the  voice  of  Lieutenant  Lambert,  who  was 
the  first  to  recover  himself,  checked  them. 

"  Shoot !  Fire  !  "  he  yelled.  "  Massy  knows 
't won't  do  no  good,  and  that  is  something 
we  can  thank  you  fur,  Ike  Spencer.  A  man 
that'll  lay  flat  on  the  ground  and  let  his  giin 
shoot  itself  off  without  orders  can't  be  con- 
scripted any  too  quick  to  suit  me,  and  I'll 
introjuce  you  to  Cap'n  Roach  soon's  I  get 
home.     Fire,  I  tell  you!" 

And  the  Home  Guards  fired — not  all  to- 
gether like  trained  soldiers,  but  one  after 
another,  just  as  it  happened  ;  but  the  distance 
was  so  great  and  their  aim  so  bad  that  not 
a  man  in  the  boat  was  injured.  It  stopped 
instantly,  however,  and  came  no  nearer  the 
landing  ;  and  on  being  hailed  by  the  officer  of 
the  deck,  it  turned  about  and  went  back  to 
the  vessel  to  which  it  belonged.  Then  came 
the  very  thing  which  the  frightened  citizens 
had  predicted  and  Lieutenant  Lambert  had 
scouted. 

No  sooner  had  the  small  boat  disappeared 


112  r.ODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

around  the  stern  of  the  war  ship  than  a  heavy 
cloud  of  smoke  rolled  over  the  dark,  mnddy 
surface  of  the  river,  a  cannon  roared,  and  the 
embankment  behind  which  Lieutenant  Lam- 
bert and  his  men  were  lying  was  jarred  per- 
ceptibly, as  if  some  heavy  body  had  been 
dashed  with  violent  force  against  it.  The 
instant's  profound  silence  that  followed  was 
broken,  first  by  shouts  and  cries  of  terror  from 
the  negroes  on  the  bank,  who  scattered  in  all 
directions,  then  by  a  muffled  sound  something 
like  the  puff  of  a  tired  locomotive  on  an  up 
grade,  and  Lambert's  view  of  the  river  Avas 
shut  off  by  a  cloud  of  dirt  and  smoke  that  was 
thrown  high  into  the  air  by  the  explosion  of 
the  shell  that  had  buried  itself  in  the  ground 
at  the  base  of  the  levee.  That  was  enough 
for  the  Home  Guards,  who  could  not  stand 
so  much  uoise  at  such  close  quarters.  They 
jumped  to  their  feet,  and  fairl}^  tumbled  over 
one  another  as  thej^  fled  for  safety  behind  the 
warehouses  where  thej^  had  left  their  horses  ; 
but  even  here  vengeance  pursued  them,  for  the 
next  shell  that  came  from  the  war  vessel 
crashed    through    the    walls  of    the    nearest 


HOW    IT    RESULTED.  113 

house,  scattering  bricks  and  mortar  about 
tlieir  ears,  creating  a  panic  among  tlieir  un- 
trained steeds,  and  finally  exploding  in  the 
edge  of  the  woods  half  a  mile  away. 

"  By  gum,  boys  !  Jump  on  and  get  outen 
here!"  shouted  Lambert,  who  wished  from 
the  bottom  of  his  heart  that  he  could  be  the 
first  to  obey  his  own  order.  "Beats  the 
world  how  straight  they  can  shoot  with  them 
big  guns  of  theirn.  They'd  win  more  tur- 
keys at  a  shooting  match  than  the  best  man 
among  us." 

For  a  few  brief,  perilous  moments  the  terri- 
fied horses  refused  to  stand  still  long  enough 
for  tlieir  equally  terrified  owners  to  mount ; 
but  when,  after  many  fruitless  efforts,  the 
Home  Guards  succeeded  in  placing  themselves 
in  their  saddles,  the  stampede  that  followed 
was  something  we  cannot  describe.  They  gal- 
loped frantically  along  the  road  that  ran  be- 
hind the  levee,  through  the  streets  of  the 
town,  which  were  by  this  time  filled  with  pale 
and  excited  citizens,  who  could  not  imagine 
what  the  trouble  was  about,  and  did  not  know 
which  way  to  run  for  safety,  and  so  out  into 


114        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

tile  country,  where  the  avenging  shells  could 
not  reach  them.  A  Confederate  veteran  who 
was  present  and  witnessed  the  bombardment 
told  the  writer  that  the  Home  Guards  "  delib- 
erately rode  into  the  midst  of  the  fleeing  in- 
habitants, selecting  groups  of  terrified  women 
and  children,  into  whom  they  galloped,  tramp- 
ling many  of  them  under  the  feet  of  tlieir 
horses,  trusting  that  the  humane  and  chival- 
rous blue- jackets,  who  had  been  so  lenient  with 
the  insulting  rabble  at  New  Orleans,  would 
not  follow  them  with  their  fire."  We  believe 
this  to  be  nothing  but  the  truth  ;  but  whether 
it  is  or  not  the  fact  remains  that  Lambert  and 
his  men  kept  to  the  crowded  streets  as  long  as 
they  could,  and  the  bursting  shells  followed 
them  through  every  turn  they  made,  but  un- 
fortunately without  doing  them  the  least 
damage.  Those  who  ought  to  have  been 
severely  punished  got  off  scot  free,  while  the 
innocent  inhabitants  suffered  in  wounds  and 
loss  of  property,  for  their  town  was  set  on  fire 
in  half  a  dozen  different  places. 

The  Home  Guards  spread  the  utmost  con- 
sternation among  the  farmers  who  lived  along 


HOW   IT   KESULTED.  115 

tlie  line  of  their  hurried  flight,  and  wlio  ran 
out  to  the  road  and  vainly  implored  the  frantic 
horsemen  to  draw  rein  long  enough  to  tell 
them  what  the  flring  was  about,  and  if  the 
Yankees  were  coming  at  last  to  burn  them  out 
of  house  and  home.  But  it  was  not  until  the 
roar  of  the  big  guns  ceased  entirely,  and  the 
Home  Guards  were  satisfied  that  they  had 
ridden  beyond  the  reach  of  any  stray  shell 
which  might  be  sent 'after  them,  that  those 
who  were  leading  in  the  retreat  recovered  their 
courage  sufficiently  to  slacken  their  speed  so 
that  their  comrades  in  the  rear  could  come  up. 
Then  they  were  willing  to  talk  to  the  planters 
along  the  road,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  they  gave 
them  much  reliable  information.  In  response 
to  one  frightened  citizen's  hurried  inquiries. 
Lieutenant  Lambert  said  : 

"We  uns  have  been  in  just  the  worst  fight 
we  ever  was  in  before  in  all  our  born  days, 
and  if  anybody  but  me  had  been  in  command 
the  most  of  us  would  have  left  our  bones  there 
behind  the  levee.  It  was  awful  to  see  the 
way  them  Yanks  tired  into  them  women  and 
children." 


116  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"But  what  started  the  mens  in  the  first 
place  ?"  asked  the  planter,  who,  rebel  that  he 
was,  could  not  believe  that  the  blue- jackets 
had  turned  demons  all  on  a  sudden.  "  What 
have  you  Mooreville  ruffians,  who  haven't  any 
business  in  this  part  of  the  country  anyway, 
been  doing  in  the  city  ?  " 

"You  better  ask  what  them  Baton  Rouge 
Yankees  been  doing?"  retorted  Lambert 
hotly.  "  We're  State  troops,  and  wVve  got 
business  in  every  part  of  the  country  that  we 
please  to  go  ;  and  when  it  i^leases  the  Baton 
Rouge  i:)eople  to  start  a  nest  of  Yankee  sym- 
pathizers in  there,  it's  our  bounden  duty  to  go 
in  and  break  it  up.  And  that's  just  what  we 
have  done.  We've  drove  the  enemy  away, 
and  the  Mississippi  between  New  Orleans  and 
Memphis  belongs  to  we  nns  once  more.  We'd 
a'  whopped  'em  worse' n  we  did  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  Ike  Spencer,  who  let  his  gun  shoot 
itself  off  before  the  rest  of  ns  were  ready.  I 
reckon  he  feels  kinder  sneakin'  over  it,  fur  I 
aint  seen  him  siuce." 

"I  should  think  you  would  all  feel  sneak- 
ing," answered  the  planter,  as  he  turned  on 


HOW   IT   RESULTED.  117 

his  heel  and  moved  away.  "If  you  have 
kicked  up  a  row  on  the  river  I  hope  you  will 
suffer  for  it.  We've  had  peace  and  quiet  in 
this  part  of  the  country  for  a  few  weeks  back, 
and  now  you  have  gone  and  brought  war  and 
all  its  miseries  on  us  again.  The  last  one  of 
you  ought  to  be  hanged." 

Lieutenant  Lambert  and  his  Home  Guards 
were  amazed  to  find  that  this  angry  citizen 
voiced  the  sentiments  of  all  the  people  who 
lived  on  the  Mooreville  road  ;  and  after  a  few 
more  planters  had  talked  to  them  in  this  plain 
fashion  their  eyes  were  opened  to  the  dis- 
agreeable fact  that  they  had  damaged  their 
own  cause  a  great  deal  more  than  they  had 
hurt  the  enemy  ;  and  that  if  their  friends  and 
neighbors  felt  the  same  way  toward  them  the 
fire  tliat  had  been  poured  into  their  ranks  by 
the  gunboats  was  nothing  to  what  they  would 
have  to  stand  when  they  reached  home. 
When  they  came  to  think  it  all  over  they  were 
the  maddest  lot  of  men  that  had  ever  been  seen 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  They  blamed 
their  lieutenant  for  being  the  cause  of  it,  and 
swore  at  him  so  lustily  that  he  fell  behind  and 


118  EODNEY,  THE   OVEESEER. 

rode  alone,  putting  in  his  time  by  wishing  a 
good  many  heavy  penalties  to  the  address  of 
his  one-legged  friend  Abner,  who,  after  the 
experience  he  had  liad  with  Yankees,  ought 
to  have  known  better  than  to  advise  him 
to  "]3ester"  the  gunboats.  All  the  Home 
Guards  rode  slowly,  so  as  to  reach  the  out- 
skirts of  Mooreville  a  little  after  nightfall,  and 
then  they  separated  and  slunk  away  toward 
their  respective  homes  like  school-boys  who 
had  been  playing  truant.  But  the  news  had 
got  ahead  of  them,  and  an  indignation  meet- 
ing was  being  held  in  the  dining  room  of  the 
hotel.  Some  of  the  Mooreville  people,  Cap- 
tain Randolph  among  the  number,  had  seen 
and  talked  with  men  who  lived  down  the  river 
road  and  had  heard  the  roar  of  the  big  guns, 
and  mounted  messengers  had  been  sent  to  the 
city  to  learn  what  the  firing  was  about.  These 
men,  who  had  fast  horses  and  went  across  lots, 
rode  all  the  way  at  top  speed,  and  to  such 
good  purpose  that  they  returned  to  Mooreville 
about  two  hours  before  the  Home  Guards  came 
straggling  in ;  and  the  story  they  told  to  tlie 
crowd   at   the   hotel  raised  such   a   storm  of 


HOW   IT    RESULTED,  119 

indignation  that  for  a  while  things  looked 
serious. 

In  the  meantime,  and  to  make  matters  worse, 
the  news  spread  through  the  country  round 
about  and  armed  planters  came  flocking  in  to 
lend  assistance  in  driving  back  the  force  that 
was  supposed  to  be  advancing  upon  Moore- 
ville ;  and  the  climax  was  reached  when 
wngons  began  arriving  from  the  direction  of 
the  river,  drawn  by  panting  mules  that  had 
been  driven  until  tliey  were  almost  exhausted, 
and  loaded  with  the  families  and  household 
efl'ects  of  the  frightened  owners  wlio  were 
fleeing  before  the  invading  Federals.  Of 
course  the  very  meagre  information  these 
people  brought  added  to  the  excitement  and 
alarm,  for  there  were  not  two  among  them 
who  told  the  same  story.  They  expected  to 
And  the  town  deserted  by  its  inhabitants,  and 
were  much  surprised  to  discover  that  it  was 
not. 

"It's  no  use  for  you  fellows  to  think  of 
standing  against  them,"  exclaimed  one  trem- 
bling driver,  who  carried  in  his  hand  a  fraj^ed 
ox-gad  which  he  had  worn  out  over  his  mules' 


120  RODNEY,  THE   OVEUSEER. 


backs.  "  Butler  is  coming  witli  liis  Avliole 
army." 

"Did  you  see  them?"  inquired  Mr.  Gray, 
who  had  ridden  in  with  Ned  Griffin  for  a  com- 
panion. They  were  both  armed,  and  althougli 
they  did  not  believe  in  shooting  at  those  who 
carried  the  Old  Flag,  they  were  ready  to  do 
what  they  could  to  protect  their  homes. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  saw  them,"  replied  the  man 
earnestly.  "  I  hadn't  left  my  house  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  behind  before  I  discovered  some  of 
their  cavalry  riding  along  one  of  my  lanes.  I 
suppose  my  house  is  in  ashes  by  this  time." 

"Were  they  burning  things  as  they  came  ? " 
asked  one  of  Mr.  Gray's  neighbors. 

"  There  was  the  blackest  smoke  over  toward 
the  river  that  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,"  was  the 
answer.  "Baton  Rouge  is  gone  up.  You'd 
better  leave  while  you  can.  You  may  save 
your  lives,  but  you  can't  save  your  property. 
Get  along  there,  mule  !  Me  and  mine  will 
take  to  the  brush." 

JEvery  story  to  which  Mr.  Gray  and  Ned 
Griffin  listened  was  more  thj:illang  than  /;he 
one  that  x3ame  before  it.     Among  others  they 


HOW   IT   RESULTED.  121 

found  a  man  who  lived  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  and  who,  standing  in  liis  back  door,  had 
seen  a  bench  which  supported  twenty-five 
stands  of  bees  demolislied  by  a  shell  from  the 
gunboats.  Still  another  had  fled  from  his 
house  just  in  time  to  escape  capture  by  Butler's 
advance  infantry,  which  was  moving  np  the 
road  in  platoon  front ;  and  more  than  that, 
the  highway  was  blue  with  Federals  as  far  as 
his  eye  could  reach.  Of  course  such  tal.es 
as  these  frightened  some  of  the  Mooreville 
people,  but  Mr.  Gray  assured  his  young  com- 
panion that  he  put  very  little  reliance  upon 
them. 

"These  folks  are  not  responsible  for  what 
they  tell  us,  because  they  are  scared  out  of 
their  wits,"  was  what  he  said  to  'Ned  Griffin 
more  than  once.  "  What  would  the  Federals 
gain  by  capturing  or  destroying  two  little 
towns  like  Baton  Rouge  and  Mooreville?  If 
there  was  a  fort  or  a  body  of  Confederate 
troops  here  I  might  put  some  faith  in  these 
rumors  ;  but  now  I  don't.  When  our  couriers 
return  we  shall  have  the  straight  of  the  story, 
and  not  before.     Have  you  seen  anything  of 


122  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEK. 

our  Home  Guards,  who  ought  to  be  mustering 
for  our  defence  ?  " 

No,  Ned  hadn't  seen  tliem  ;  and  when  lie 
came  to  ride  about  the  town  and  make  inqui- 
ries he  could  not  find  anybody  else  who  had 
seen  them.  The  truth  was  they  were  too 
badly  frightened  to  show  themselves,  for  they 
were  afraid  that  they  might  be  called  upon  to 
do  something.  Captain  Tom's  uniform  was  in 
its  old  hiding  place  in  the  garret,  and  Tom 
himself  was  stretched  out  on  the  lounge  in  his 
mother's  room,  eager  for  news  and  dreading 
to  hear  it,  but  too  ill  to  mount  his  horse  and 
muster  his  men  for  the  defence  of  the  town. 

At  length  two  of  the  INIooreville  messengers 
returned,  and  then  the  citizens  got  "the 
straight  of  the  story."  AVhen  they  learned 
that  General  Butler's  army  had  not  moved 
out  of  New  Orleans  at  all,  that  not  a  Federal 
soldier  had  stepped  upon  the  sacred  soil  of 
Louisiana  in  the  neighborhood  of  Baton  Rouge 
during  the  whole  of  that  day,  and  that  the 
city  had  been  shelled  and  partially  burned 
because  Lieutenant  Lambert  of  Tom  Ran- 
dolph's   Home  Guards  had   tried  to  gain  a 


HOW   IT   RESULTED.  123 

little  cheap  notoriety  for  himself  by  firing 
upon  an  unarmed  boat — when  the  citizens 
heard  this  their  fear  give  way  to  the  wildest 
rage ;  and  if  they  could  have  got  their  hands 
upon  Lambert  at  that  moment  it  is  more  than 
XDrobable  that  they  would  have  handled  him 
roughly.  With  one  accord  the  crowd  surged 
up  the  steps  that  led  to  the  hotel  porch  and 
through  the  wide  hall  into  the  dining  room, 
which  was  quickly  filled  with  men  who  had 
about  made  up  their  minds  that  the  Home 
Guards  had  made  them  trouble  enough,  and 
that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  get  rid  of 
them  without  loss  of  time. 

"Of  all  the  senseless  acts  I  ever  heard  of 
this  last  one  of  Lambert's  is  the  beat,"  shouted 
an  excited  individual  who  had  perched  him- 
self upon  one  of  the  tables.  "Those  Baton 
Rouge  people  knew  what  they  wanted,  and 
if  it  suited  them  to  make  friends  with  the 
Yankees  and  trade  wdth  them  we  planters 
have  no  business  to  find  any  fault  with  tliem 
for  it.  I  would  have  done  the  same  thing 
myself." 

"Oh,  you  traitor!"  shouted  a  voice  from 


124         KODNEY,  THE  OVEUSEER. 

tlie  farther  end  of  the  dining  room,  "  Wonld 
you  hold  communication  with  the  enemies  of 
•  your  flag? " 

"You  shut  up,  Bill  Cummings,"  retorted 
the  speaker.  "If  I  am  a  traitor  you're  an- 
other. You've  got  a  sack  of  Federal  salt  and 
some  Federal  tea  and  coffee  hidden  in  one  of 
your  corn  cribs  at  this  moment,  and  I  can 
prove  it.  You  got  them  b}^  trading  a  beef  to 
one  of  the  gunboats  down  there  at  Baton 
Rouge,  and  you  brought  them  home  in  your 
wagon  at  dead  of  night,  when  you  thought  all 
your  neighbors  were  fast  asleep." 

This  raised  a  shout  of  laughter  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Bill  Cummings,  but  no  one  said  a 
harsh  word  to  him,  for  probably  there  were 
not  a  dozen  men  in  the  room  who  would  not 
have  been  glad  to  get  some  of  that  salt  and 
tea  and  coffee.  Mr.  Grny  himself  was  stand- 
ing in  a  pair  of  Federal  brogans,  and  the  man 
next  him  wore  a  straw  hat  that  looked  exactly 
like  those  that  Uncle  Sam  issued  to  his  sailors 
every  month. 

"  Now,  then,"  continued  the  man  who  hnd 
taken    possession    of    the    table,     "I    am    in 


HOW   IT   RESULTED.  125 

favor  of  taking  that  ruffian  Lambert  out  of  liis 
bed,  if  lie  has  had  time  to  get  tliere,  and  giv- 
ing him  such  a  whipping  that  he  won't  get 
over  it  as  long  as  the  war  lasts." 

"Let's  hang  him  and  be  done  with  him," 
cried  another. 

"And  while  we  are  dealing  with  Lambert, 
don't  let's  forget  Tom  Randolph,"  shouted  a 
third. 

"Tom  Randolph  is  in  no  way  to  blame  for 
what  happened  at  Baton  Rouge,"  said  Mr. 
Gray,  who  was  one  of  the  few  cool  and  reason- 
able men  there  were  in  the  crowd.  "He  has 
no  more  authority  over  the  Home  Guards 
than  I  have." 

"Then  I  say  let's  lick  him  because  he 
hasn't  some  authority  over  them  so  that  he 
can  make  them  behave  themselves.  What  did 
he  organize  the  company  for,  anyhow  ?" 

"  That  is  what  I  should  like  to  know.  Xow 
mark  my  words  :  there  will  be  a  Yankee  gar- 
rison in  Baton  Rouge  in  less  than  a  week,  and 
then  our  trading  will  be  up  stump,  for  we 
can't  go  there  any  more." 

"That's   so.     What  .excuse   has   that  man 


120  RODNEY,  THE    OVERSEER. 

Lambert  for  living,  Td  like  to  know?  Let's 
bu'st  him  and  the  Home  Guards  u^)  right  here 
and  now." 

Uttering  wild  yells  of  approval,  with  which 
were  mingled  loud  calls  for  ropes  and  dire 
threats  against  the  peace  of  mind  and  bodily 
comfort  of  Captain  Tom  Randolph,  the  crowd 
made  a  rush  for  the  door,  and  it  was  several 
minutes  before  Mr.  Gray  and  the  cool-headed 
men  who  sided  with  him  could  make  them- 
selves heard  above  the  tumult. 

"Be  reasonable,  gentlemen,"  urged  the  for- 
mer. "Don't  let  your  excitement  lead  you 
to  do  something  you  will  be  heartily  ashamed 
of  and  sorry  for  to-morrow.  You  cannot 
touch  those  men  in  the  way  you  suggest, 
especially  Tom  Randolph,  who  is  a  State 
officer.  Whoop  and  yell  about  it  all  you 
please,"  he  continued,  after  the  angry  shouts 
of  dissent  which  th.ese  words  called  forth  had 
subsided,  "but  it  is  a  fact  that  Tom  holds  a 
•commission  from  the  Governor,  and  if  you 
put  your  hands  on  him  you  will  go  to  jail  to 
pay  for  it.  Confederate  officers  might  deal 
with   him,   though    on   that   point   I   am    not 


now  IT   RESULTED.  127 

sure  ;    but    private    citizens    certainly    can- 
not." 

Tliese  warning  words  caused  a  dissension  in 
the  ranlis  of  the  would-be  lynchers  at  once, 
and  the  hubbub  that  arose  all  over  the  room, 
as  well  as  from  the  outside,  where  there  was  a 
respectable  gathering  that  had  not  been  able 
to  gain  admittance  to  the  dining  hall,  was 
almost  deafening.  Mr.  Gray  looked  troubled 
as  he  saw  his  angry  neighbors  swaying  back 
and  forth  and  shaking  their  clenched  hands  in 
one  another's  faces,  and  presently  he  stooped 
and  whispered  a  few  hasty  words  to  Ned 
Griffin,  who,  after  a  terrific  struggle,  managed 
to  work  his  way  through  the  crowd  to  the 
nearest  window,  by  which  he  made  his  exit 
fi'om  the  building.  He  was  charged  with  an 
important  duty,  and  he  was  anxious  to  dis- 
charge it  without  loss  of  time  ;  but  the  men 
on  the  outside  insisted  on  detaining  him  until 
he  told  what  was  going  on  in  the  dining  room. 

"Honor  bright,  there  isn't  anything  going 
on  in  there  that  would  interest  you  or  any- 
body else,"  declared  Ned,  who  knew  full  well 
that  it  would  never  do  to  say  that  there  was 


128        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

some  talk  of  lynching  Lieutenant  Lambert  and 
"bn' sting  up"  Tom  Randolph.  '''Itiv.  Gray- 
has  been  quoting  some  law,  that's  all.  Let  me 
go,  please.  I  want  to  tell  Mrs.  Gray  that  the 
excitement  is  all  over." 

The  men  released  him  and  Ned  made  his  way 
to  the  hitching  rack  where  he  had  left  his  horse, 
mounted,  and  galloped  off.  He  made  a  great 
show  of  riding  down  the  road  toward  Mr. 
Gray's  house,  but  as  soon  as  he  thought  he 
could  do  so  without  attracting  attention  he 
turned  back,  and  went  at  top  speed  toward  the 
plantation  on  which  Lieutenant  Lambert  found 
emi)loyment  as  overseer.  Paying  no  heed  to 
the  small  army  of  dogs  that  came  out  to  dispute 
his  advance  he  rode  close  to  the  door  of  the 
overseer's  house,  there  being  no  porch  to  bar 
his  way,  and  tapped  lightly  upon  it  with  the 
liandle  of  his  riding-whip.  If  he  had  made  a 
good  deal  of  noise  it  is  i)robable  that  he  would 
not  have  received  any  response  from  the  soli- 
tary occupant  of  the  building,  who  was  thor- 
oughly frightened  at  what  he  had  done,  but 
totally  ignorant  of  tlie  fact  that  his  life  would 
be  in  danger  if  Mr.  Gray  and  his  friends  failed 


now    IT    RESULTED.  129 

ill  their  efforts  to  control  the  mob  at  the  hotel. 
The  cautious  way  in  which  his  visitor  strove 
to  attract  his  attention  told  him  that  there 
was  something  afoot,  and  he  thought  it  best  to 
answer. 

"Who's  there?"  he  demanded,  his  voice 
sounding  as  if  it  came  from  under  the  bed- 
clothes. 

"It's  I  — Ned  Griffin,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Come  to  the  door  so  that  I  can  say  a  word  to 
you  without  fear  of  being  overheard,  and  be 
quick  about  it.  There's  not  an  instant  to 
lose." 

This  startling  announcement  brought  Lam- 
bert out  of  bed  and  to  the  door,  which  he 
opened  just  wide  enough  to  make  sure  that  his 
visitor  was  Ned  Griffin,  and  nobody  else  ;  and 
then  he  opened  it  so  that  he  could  put  his 
head  out  and  look  up  and  down  the  lane  that 
ran  by  the  house  to  the  negro  quarter. 

"I  am  alone,"  ISTed  assured  him  without 
waiting  to  be  questioned,  "and  I  am  here  be- 
cause Mr.  Gray  sent  me.  Do  you  know  what 
you  have  done  by  this  day's  Avork  ?  You  have 
destroyed  a  good  portion  of  Baton  Rouge  and 
9 


130  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

got  every  white  man  in  tlie  settlement  down 
on  yon." 

"I    never "   began    Lambert,    who  was 

profoundly  astonished. 

"  I  am  not  here  to  argue  the  matter,"  inter- 
rupted Ned,  "but  to  tell  you  that  there  is  a 
mob  in  the  hotel  who  are  talking  strongly  of 
laying  violent  hands  on  you.  They  would 
have  been  here  before  this  time  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  Mr.  Gray  and  a  few  others  who  don't 
believe  in  such  things  ;  but  the  gang  was  about 
equally  divided  when  Mr.  Gray  sent  me  to 
warn  you,  and  you  had  better  dig  out.  They 
are  as  likely  to  decide  on  one  thing  as  another, 
and  you  are  not  safe  in  this  house." 

"  Great  smoke  !  "  gasped  Lambert  when  he 
began  to  comprehend  the  situation.  ''  Where 
shall  I  go?" 

"Get  into  your  duds  and  draw  a  bee-line 
for  the  nearest  patch  of  timber.  Mr,  Gray 
may  be  able  to  hold  the  mob  and  he  may 
not ;  so  I  say  again  that  you  had  better  dig 
out." 

"I  never  looked  for  you  to  be  so  good  to 
me,  Ned,"  faltered  Lambert,  who  seemed  to  be 


now   IT   RESULTED.  131 

SO  dazed  that  lie  did  not  realize  the  necessity 
of  acting  quickly. 

"Don't  tliank  me;  thank  Mr.  Gray,"  said 
Ned  hastily.  "If  it  had  not  been  for  him 
I  am  afraid  I  should  have  left  you  to  look 
out  for  yourself ;  for  I  know  how  you  and 
Tom  Randolph  have  been  working  against  me. 
But  you  can't  injure  me  now,  and  so  I  can 
afford  to  be  magnanimous.  Are  you  going  to 
clear  out  or  not?  " 

Yes,  Lambert  thought  he  had  better  take  a 
friend's  advice  and  seek  safety  in  flight  while 
the  way  was  open  to  him  ;  and  when  Ned  heard 
him  say  that  he  wheeled  his  horse  and  set  off 
post-haste  to  carry  the  same  warning  and  advice 
to  another  party  whose  name  had  that  night 
been  rather  unpleasantly  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  a  sound  thrashing.  This  one  was  Tom 
Randolph,  who  heard  his  ring  at  the  door  but 
lacked  the  courage  to  answer  it,  for  something 
told  him  that  he  would  hear  disagreeable  news 
if  he  did.  Mr.  Randolph  answered  the  bell 
himself,  and  the  words  he  listened  to  almost 
drove  him  frantic.  Ned  did  not  tell  him  that 
the  mob  had  threatened  to  whip  Tom,  for,  as 


132  llODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

lie  afterward  said,  lie  couldn't  get  liis  consent 
to  go  as  far  as  tliat ;  but  lie  said  enough  to  put 
Mr.  Randolph  into  a  terrible  state  of  mind. 
He  stamped  his  feet  on  the  gallery,  shook  his 
fists  over  his  head,  and  wished  from  the  bottom 
of  his  heart  that  every  member  of  the  Home 
Guards  had  been  sent  to  the  front  and  killed 
off  long  ago,  and  then  he  went  in  to  tell  his 
wife  about  it,  and  leave  her  to  break  the  news 
to  Tom  in  any  way  she  thought  best.  To  say 
that  the  young  man  was  utterly  confounded 
would  be  putting  it  very  mildly.  He  was 
terribly  frightened,  of  course,  and  angry  as 
well  ;  but  for  some  reason  or  other  he  did  not 
seem  to  stand  so  much  in  fear  of  personal 
violence  as  he  did  of  losing  his  commission. 
When  his  mother  had  repeated  word  for  word 
the  conversation  that  took  place  between  Ned 
Griffin  and  Mr.  Randolph,  and  Tom  had  asked 
a  question  or  two,  he  jumped  to  his  feet  and 
charged  about  the  room  like  a  caged  wild 
animal. 

"There  isn't  a  man  in  the  world  who  has 
half  the  trouble  I  do,"  he  said,  almost  tear- 
fully.    "That    idiot  Lambert  has  broken  up 


now    IT    RESULTED.  133 

the  company  as  completely  as  tbougli  the 
Yankees  had  come  in  and  captured  every 
member  of  it." 

"And  think  of  the  misery  he  has  brought 
upon  the  Baton  Rouge  people,"  suggested  his 
mother. 

"I  don't  care  a  picayune  for  the  Baton 
Rouge  people,"  said  Tom  in  savage  tones, 
"  They  ought  to  have  known  that  they  would 
bring  themselves  into  trouble  by  being  so 
friendly  with  the  Yankees  ;  but  all  the  same 
Lambert  showed  himself  a  born  fool  when  he 
iired  on  that  gunboat.  I  should  be  glad  to 
see  him  and  every  man  who  went  with  him 
conscripted  and  put  where  they  would  have  to 
behave  themselves,  if  I  could  only  get  others 
to  fill  their  places  ;  but  that  is  something  I 
can't  do.  And  if  I  lose  my  men  I  shall  have 
to  throw  up  my  commission  or  go  into  the 
army.  When  I  meet  them  at  the  enrolling 
office  in  the  moruing  I  will  talk  to  them  in  a 
way  they  will  remember." 

But  when  morning  dawned  upon  his  sight 
after  a  restless  and  sleepless  night,  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Home  Guards   had   several  other 


184  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tilings  to  occupy  liis  mind.  First  came  a  com- 
mittee of  twelve  stalwart  men  appointed  by 
the  indignant  citizens  of  Baton  Ronge,  who 
called  at  Mr.  Randolph's  house  to  inquire 
what  Tom  meant  by  sending  a  gang  of  ruffians 
to  their  peaceful  city  to  bring  destruction 
upon  it,  and  death  and  wounds  to  its  quiet 
inhabitants,  in  that  wanton,  useless,  and  out- 
rageous manner.  TLe  scathing  denunciation 
and  threats  that  Captain  Tom  was  obliged  to 
listen  to  before  he  and  his  mother  could  con- 
vince the  visitors  that  he  was  in  no  way  to 
blame  for  it,  that  he  did  not  know  the  first 
thing  about  it  until  it  was  all  over,  and  that 
the  Home  Guards  had  acted  on  their  own 
responsibility  and  without  orders  from  him, 
were  things  he  never  forgot  ;  and  the  only 
way  he  could  pacify  the  committee,  who 
seemed  determined  to  have  revenge  upon 
somebody  before  they  left  town,  was  by 
promising  to  turn  his  company  over  to  the 
conscripting  officer  as  soon  as  he  could  get 
to  his  office.  Tom  knew  when  he  said  it  that 
his  Home  Guards  would  refuse  to  be  disposed 
of  in  that  vvay,  but  he  was  so  much  afraid  of 


now   IT   RESULTED.  135 

tlie  Baton  Rouge  men  and  so  anxious  to  see 
the  last  of  them,  that  he  would  have  promised 
more  than  that  for  the  sake  of  inducing  them 
to  leave  the  house. 

Although  Tom  did  not  know  it  until  after- 
ward, the  committee  took  a  little  responsi- 
bility from  his  shoulders  by  calling  at  Kim- 
berly's  store  before  they  went  kome  and  tell- 
ing Captain  Roach,  in  the  hearing  of  some  of 
the  Home  Guards,  that  if  he  did  not  at  once 
conscript  every  man  who  was  in  any  way 
concerned  in  Lambert's  mad  act  they  would 
petition  the  Governor  to  remove  him  and  put 
in  his  place  an  officer  who  would  attend  to  his 
business.  And  this  threat  of  theirs  Avas  what 
brought  some  of  the  Home  Guards  to  Captain 
Tom's  house,  where  we  found  them  at  the 
beginning  of  the  first  chapter. 


A 


CHAPTER  VL 

CAPTAIN   EOACII   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW. 

S  soon  as  the  Baton  Ronge  men  with  their 
lowering 'looks  and  big  revolvers  were 
fairly  out  of  sight  of  the  house  Captain  Tom, 
feeling  much  the  worse  for  the  exciting  ordeal 
through  which  he  had  just  passed,  went  into 
his  mother's  room  and  flung  himself  down  on 
the  lounge  Avith  the  air  of  a  man  who  had 
nothing  in  the  world  to  live  for.  There  Avasn'  t 
another  captain  in  the  Confederacy,  he  told 
himself,  whose  ambition  to  do  something  great 
for  his  country  had  been  balked  and  defeated 
at  every  turn  as  his  had  been  ever  since  he 
took  command  of  the  Home  Guards,  In  no 
single  instance  that  he  could  think  of  had  his 
men  conducted  themselves  as  he  thought  they 
ought,  or  as  he  was  sure  Captain  Hubbard's 
Rangers  would  have  conducted  themselves  if 
they  had  been  situated  as  the  Home  Guards 
were,  and  it  was  a  sad  disa],>pointment  and 

13G 


CAPTAIN    ROACH    LAYS    DOWN   THE    LAW.     187 

trial  to  liim.  Already  lie  repented  of  his  rnsli 
promise  to  turn  liis  company  over  to  the 
enrolling  officer,  for  by  such  a  proceeding  he 
would  place  himself  right  where  he  was  before 
the  Governor  honored  him  with  his  commis- 
sion— that  is  to  say,  without  any  standing  at 
all  in  the  community.  Now  he  had  influence 
and  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  fact.  It  was 
very  gratifying  to  his  vanity  to  have  men  who 
were  his  superiors  in  every  point  of  view, 
who  had  seldom  invited  liim  to  their  houses 
or  treated  him  with  anything  more  than 
ordinary  civility— it  was  very  gratifying  to 
have  such  men  go  out  of  their  way  to  speak  to 
him,  and  to  see  them  listen  attentively  while 
he  discussed  the  issues  of  the  hour,  and  told 
how  the  war  ought  to  be  conducted  on  the 
Confederate  side.  The  most  of  these  men  in 
their  hearts  despised  him,  and  Captain  Tom 
knew  it ;  but  they  were  aware  that  through 
his  intimacy  with  Captain  Roach  he  was  able 
to  hasten  or  postpone  their  conscription,  just 
as  the  humor  seized  him,  and  for  this  reason 
thought  it  prudent  to  treat  him  Avitli  some 
show  of  respect.     But  if  he  gave  his  company 


138  IlODISrEY,  THE   OVEIISEEU. 

-over   to  tlie    enrolling   officer,    or  if   Captain 
Roacli  were  relieved   and  a  new  and  stricter 

man  put  in  his  place 

"0\v!  Ozzj/"  yelled  tlie  persecuted  and 
furious  captain  of  tlie  Home  Guards  when 
these  dispiriting  reflections  passed  through  his 
mind  ;  and  with  the  words  he  sprang  from  the 
lounge  to  the  middle  of  the  room,  where  he 
swung  his  arms  and  danced  about  like  one 
demented.  "JS'o  matter  what  I  decide  to  do 
I  am  in  a  fix.  But  I'll  never  give  up  my  com- 
pany— never  in  this  world.  I  am  the  biggest 
toad  in  the  puddle  now  and  I  am  going  to  stay 
that  way,  or  else  Til  go  to  Baton  Rouge  and 
curry  favor  with  the  Yankees,  as  other  good 
Confederates  have  done  to  keep  out  of  trou- 
ble. Jeff  Davis  can't  reach  inside  their  lines 
and  take  me  by  the  collar  and  drag  me  into 
]iis  army.  And  as  for  Roach,  if  he  gets  up  on 
his  dignity  and  says  ugly  things  to  me  on  ac- 
count of  Lambert's  foolishness,  I'll  let  him 
know  who  he  is  talking  to.  I'll  report  him 
myself  for — for  incompetency  and  general 
worthlessness.  He's  about  as  fit  to  be  an  en- 
rolling officer  as  Adam's  off  ox.    At  any  rate 


CAPTAIN  ROACH  LAYS  DOWN  THE  LAW.  139 

lie  sluill  never  sit  at  my  mother's  table  again, 
and  he  can  bet  on  that." 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  Randolph,  who  had 
done  so  much  to  help  Captain  Tom  through  his 
tr3nng  interview  with  the  Baton  Rouge  com- 
mittee, hastened  into  the  room  looking  very 
much  excited  and  distressed. 

"My  dear,"  said  she  nervously,  "I  am 
afraid  we  are  going  to  have  more  trouble. 
There  is  a  score  or  more  of  Home  Guards  in 
the  road  coming  toward  the  house,  and  tliey 
are  talking  loudly  and  shaking-  their  fists  at 
one  another  as  if  tliey  are  very  angry." 

"  I  don't  care  if  they  are,"  shouted  Captain 
Tom.  "  I  am  mad  too,  as  I  have  good  reason 
to  be.  Stand  by  me  and  see  how  I  will  talk 
to  them." 

Money  would  not  have  induced  Captain 
Randolph  to  go  out  on  the  gallery  alone  to 
meet  his  mutinous  soldiers,  and  even  with  his 
fearless  mother  at  his  side  to  support  and 
encourage  him  he  felt  like  running  back 
into  the  house  when  he  saw  them  coming 
through  tlie  gate  and  heard  their  loud,  angry 
voices.      Whether   they  intended  to  do  him 


140  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER,    . 

personal  injury  Tom  never  knew  for  certain, 
tliougli  he  afterward  heard  it  liinted  that  they 
did  ;  but  he  was  much  gratified  and  relieved 
to  observe  tliat  tliey  ceased  all  hostile  demon- 
strations when  they  saw  his  mother  standing 
by  his  side  on  the  gallery  ;  and  that  embold- 
ened him  to  go  on  with  the  programme  he  had 
laid  out  for  himself. 

"You  are  a  pretty  lot  of  soldiers — a  very 
pretty  lot  indeed,"  Avas  the  way  in  which  he 
vent  at  them.  "I  am  heartily  ashamed  of 
you  and  disgusted  with  myself  to  think  I  ever 
consented  to  act  as  your  commanding  officer. 
Do  you  know  that  you  have  done  us  and  our 
glorious  cause  more  injury  than  Farragut  ever 
did  1  Men  have  been  shot  to  death  in  the 
Army  of  the  Centre  for  doing  less  than  you 
have  done,  and  now  I  am  going  to  put  you 
where  you  will  be  served  in  the  same  way  the 
first  time  you  misbehave  yourselves.  I  shall 
stand  your  foolishness  no  longer.  The  field 
is  the  place  for  you,  and  there's  where  you  are 
going  as  soon  as  Captain  Roach  can  send  you." 

"Cap'n  Roach  can't  send  us  there,  nor  you 
neither,"  shouted  Lambert,  who  of  course  was 


CAPTAIN    llOACII    LAYS    DOWN    THE   LAW.     141 

expected  to  act  as  spokesman  for  the  Home 
Guards.  "We  are  swore  into  the  service 
of  the  State,  we  are.  and  Confedrit  officers 
can't  touch  us.  Didn't  Bob  Hubbard's 
Rangers ' ' 

"  I  can  send  you  to  the  front  to  pay  you  for 
what  you  did  yesterday,  and  I  will,"  inter- 
rupted Captain  Tom,  "There  are  no  such 
useless  things  as  States  troops  any  longer,  and 
I  am  glad  of  it.  Ask  Captain  Roach  and  he 
will  tell  you  that  you  are  liere  only  because 
I  asked  liim  to  let  yon  stay,  and  that  if  the 
camp  of  instruction  we  are  waiting  for  had 
been  established  I  could  have  sent  you  there 
any  day  I  pleased.  I  have  been  standing  be- 
tween you  and  him  all  along,  and  this  is  the 
way  you  repay  me,  you  ungrateful  black- 
gnards  !  I'll  teach  you  to  play  the  part  of 
fools  without  my  orders.'' 

Lieutenant  Lambert  rubbed  his  hands  nerv- 
ously together,  shaking  his  head  and  swearing 
softly  to  himself  the  while,  and  fairly  ached  to 
make  a  suitable  rejoinder  ;  but  the  presence 
of  Tom's  mother,  of  whom  he  had  always 
stood  somewhat  in  awe,  restrained  him. 


142  RODlSrEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"We  uns  tliongiit  you  was  dead  set  agin 
the  Yankees,  arid  that  you  would  be  sorter 
glad  to  see  them  sailors  made  to  stay  on  their 
boats,"  one  of  the  Home  Guards  ventured  to 
say  at  length. 

"What  business  had  you  to  think  anything 
of  tlie  kind?"  demanded  Captain  Tom.  "A 
soldier's  whole  duty  is  to  obey.  He  is  nothing 
but  a  machine  and  his  captain  does  his  think- 
ing for  him.  If  I  had  wanted  you  to  go  to  the 
city  and  fire  on  those  gunboats  I  should  have 
led  you  there  myself.  Lambert,  you  alone 
are  to  blame  for  this  miserable  state  of  affairs, 
and  I  will  tell  you  for  your  satisfaction  that 
you  have  killed  your  chances  for  a  lieuten- 
ant's commission  deader  than  a  smelt.  I'll 
never  recommend  you  to  the  Governor." 

"By  gum!  I  won't  stand  no  such  talk  as 
that!  "  yelled  Lambert. 

He  sprang  into  the  air  and  knocked  his 
heels  together,  dashed  his  hat  upon  the  ground 
and  placed  his  foot  upon  the  lower  step,  as  if 
he  were  about  to  rush  up  to  the  gallery  where 
Tom  was  standing.  The  latter' s  face  grew  as 
white  as  a  sheet,  but  he  could  not  think   of 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     143 

yielding  ground  to  a  mutinous  subordinate 
while  his  mother  was  looking  on.  In  an  in- 
stant the  sword,  that  hung  at  his  side  flashed, 
from  its  scabbard. 

"  I  haven't  drawn  it  without  a  cause,"  said 
he,  shaking  the  weapon  over  the  railing  almost 
in  Lambert's  face,  "and  I  warn  you  that  I 
shall  not  sheathe  it  with  dishonor.  That 
is  my  motto,  and  I  shall  live  up  to  it,  no 
matter  what  hapx^ens  to  me.  Any  more 
such  actions  on  your  X)in't  will  shut  you  up 
in  the  guard-house  on  a  bread  and  water 
diet." 

It  is  not  likely  that  the  sight  of  Tom's  sword 
or  the  threat  which  he  could  not  have  carried 
out  had  any  effect  upon  Lieutenant  Lambert, 
who  was  a  noted  rough  and  tumble  fighter, 
but  a  glance  at  the  face  of  the  resolute  woman 
who  stood  quietly  on  the  porch  above  cowed 
him  at  once.  Mrs.  Randolph  did  not  say  a 
word,  nor  did  she  move  an  inch  when  Lambert 
acted  as  though  he  Avas  about  to  charge  up 
the  steps,  but  there  was  something  in  her  eye 
that  brought  the  angry  man  to  his  senses.  He 
backed  away  from  the  steps,  picked  up  his  hat, 


144  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  remarked  that  lie  had  alwa/s  supposed 
a  first  lieutenant  had  a  right  to  harass  the 
enem}^  in  any  wvtj  he  could  ;  but  he  was  re- 
buked and  silenced  before  he  had  uttered  half 
a  dozen  words  because  he  forgot  his  manners 
and  addressed  his  commanding  officer  by  his 
Christian  name. 

Cax">tain  Tom  Avas  not  slow  to  improve  the 
advantage  he  had  gained,  and  the  way  he 
scolded,  threatened,  and  even  insulted  the 
Home  Guards  would  have  made  a  regular  sol- 
dier open  his  eyes.  He  showed  them  that 
they  did  wrong  when  they  followed  Lambert 
to  Baton  Rouge  without  orders  from  their 
captain,  and  drew  so  harrowing  a  picture  of 
the  dangers  and  privations  of  the  army  life 
to  which  they  had  doomed  themselves  by 
their  acts  of  disobedience  and  folly  that  he 
frightened  the  bravest  of  them  ;  and  when  he 
thought  he  had  impressed  them  sufficiently 
he  wound  up  by  declaring  that  nothing  short 
of  a  solemn  promise  on  their  part  to  do  better 
in  future  would  induce  him  to  break  the 
agreement  he  had  made  with  the  Baton  Rouge 
men.     If  they  would  take  orders  from  him  and 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN  THE   LAW.     145 

nobody  else  lie  would  stand  between  tliem 
and  all  harm. 

"  And  mark  my  words,  this  is  the  very  last 
warning  I  shall  give  you,"  said  Captain  Tom 
in  conclusion.  "  The  last  one  of  you  ought  to 
be  court-martialled  and  shot." 

To  his  great  surprise  and  his  mother's  Lieu- 
tenant Lambert  stepped  forward,  assumed  the 
position  of  a  soldier  as  near  as  he  could  get 
it,  touched  his  battered  hat  respectfully,  and 
said  : 

"We'll  do  it,  cap'n,  and  there's  my  hand 
on  to  it,  if  Miss  Randolph  will  take  it.  From 
this  time  on  you're  boss  and  don't  nary  one  of 
you  forget  it." 

Lambert's  object  was  to  restore  himself  to 
the  favor  of  Tom's  mother  ;  and  so  he  went  on 
to  declare,  with  some  emphatic  language  to 
make  it  more  binding,  that  he  spoke  for  the 
company  and  would  take  it  upon  himself  to 
see  that  the  promise  was  kept.  He  was  sure 
he  had  succeeded  in  his  object  when  Mrs.  Ran- 
dolph smiled  and  shook  hands  with  him  over 
the  railing,  but  all  the  same  Lambert  meant 
something  very  different  from  what  he  said. 
10 


146        KODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

Captain  Tom  made  a  life-long  enemy  when  lie 
drew  his  sword  on  his  second  officer,  and  all 
the  latter  wanted  was  an  opportunity  to  show 
it.  Tom  then  dismissed  his  men  with  the  assur- 
ance that  he  would  do  the  best  he  could  for 
them,  and  went  into  the  house  congratulating 
himself  on  having  won  a  complete  victory. 

"  I  have  had  the  narrowest  escape  of  my  life 
this  morning,"  were  the  first  words  he  said  to 
his  mother.  "The  next  time  I  come  so  near 
to  going  into  the  army  I  shall  go  ;  and  that 
will  be  the  last  you  will  ever  see  of  Tom  Ran- 
dolph. Didn't  I  bring  Lambert  to  time  when 
I  drew  my  sword  on  him  ?  He's  had  an  idea 
that  he  could  run  things  to  suit  himself,  but 
I  think  I  showed  him  his  mistake.  Of  course 
it  will  not  be  safe  for  me  to  go  near  Baton 
Rouge,  for  I  believe  the  citizens  would  mob 
me  ;  but  I  can't  be  sent  to  a  conscript  camp  so 
long  as  I  have  men  to  command,  and  that  is 
what  I  am  figuring  on  now." 

Half  an  hour  later,  and  before  Captain  Tom 
had  finished  telling  his  mother  and  himself 
that  he  was  well  out  of  the  scrape  into  which 
his  officious  lieutenant  had  brought  him,  one 


CAPTAIlSr   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     147 

of  the  Home  Guards  rode  into  tlie  yard  with  a 
note  from  Captain  Roach,  in  which  the  latter 
requested  Tom  to  come  to  his  office  at  once  on 
business  of  the  last  importance.  The  young 
man  was  frightened  again  ;  but  the  idea  of 
talking  over  matters  with  Captain  Roach  while 
his  mother  was  not  by  to  support  him  was 
not  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment.  He 
passed  the  note  over  to  her  after  he  had  read 
it,  and  said  almost  fiercely  to  the  bearer  : 

"Tell  Captain  Roach  that  he  has  forgotten 
himself — that  I  am  his  senior  ;  and  if  he  is  so 
anxious  to  see  me  he  must  come  where  I  am. 
At  the  present  time  I  am  not  dancing  attend- 
ance upon  him  or  anybody  else." 

"One  moment,  my  dear,"  Mrs.  Randolph 
interposed.  "A  written  invitation  demands 
the  courtesy  of  a  written  reply.  Permit  me 
to  answer  the  captain.  I  will  show  you  the 
note  before  sending  it  away." 

His  mother  went  into  the  house  and  Captain 
Tom  said  to  the  Home  Guard,  who  sat  on  his 
horse  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  : 

"Have  you  any  idea  what  Roach  wants  of 
me?" 


148  ROD.VEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"I  reckon  it's  something  or 'notlier  about 
them  men  from  Baton  Rouge,  who  acted  like 
they  wanted  to  bu'st  things,"  rei:)lied  the  mes- 
senger. "Looks  to  me  like  the  cap'n  feels 
sorter  shook  up  over  what  they  said  to  him, 
and  that  he's  got  himself  into  some  kind  of  a 
muss  that  nobody  but  you  can  help  him  out  of. 
He  talks  like  he's  going  to  send  we  uns  to 
camp.  Can  you  shet  him  off  on  that,  do  you 
reckon  ?" 

"It  depends  entirely  upon  the  way  you 
Home  Guards  conduct  yourselves  from  this 
time  on,"  answered  Captain  Tom  impressively. 
"  Roach  would  have  conscripted  you  long  ago 
if  I  hadn't  stood  your  friend,  and  he  may  do 
it  yet  if  you  follow  Lambert  on  any  more  of 
his  crazy  expeditions." 

"I  didn't  foller,"  said  the  man  hastily, 
"  and  I  don't  want  you  to  think  I  did.  I  was 
to  home  all  the  blessed  time.  I  aint  caring  to 
bother  the  Yankees  so  long  as  they  let  me  be. 
And  Lambert,  he  won't  go  off  that  away  agin. 
He  was  purty  bad  skeared  last  night." 

"What  at?"  inquired  Tom. 

"Wliy,   don't    you   know?    Some  of    our 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN  THE   LAW,     149 

folks  went  down  to  the  river  yesterday  to  see 
what  all  that  shooting  was  about,  and  when 
they  come  back  and  told  what  Lambert  had 
been  a-doing,  ole  man  Gray  and  the  rest  of  'em 
was  that  mad  that  they  talked  of  hanging 
Lambert  up  to  a  tree  and  licking  you  like  you 
was  a  nigger." 

Captain  Tom  reeled  as  if  the  man  had 
struck  him  with  the  handle  of  the  heavy 
riding -whip  he  carried  in  his  hand,  and 
grasped  •  at  the  veranda  railing  for  sup- 
port. 

"I  am  telling  you  nothing  but  the  gospel 
truth,"  continued  the  messenger,  not  a  little 
surprised  at  the  effect  his  words  had  produced 
upon  his  commanding  officer,  "  and  I  thought 
you  had  had  time  to  hear  all  about  it.  They 
was  a  tol'able  mad  lot  of  men  down  to  the 
hotel  last  night,  and  when  I  seen  'em  going 
on  I  was  mighty  glad  I  hadn't  went  with 
Lambert  and  the  rest." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  old  man  Gray 
dared  to  talk  of  whipping  meV  exclaimed 
Tom,  who  could  hardly  believe  his  ears. 
"Wasn't  it  Lambert  he  spoke  of?" 


150  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"No,  it  was  you  ;  and  lie  wasn't  the  only 
one  who  spoke  of  it,  nuther,"  replied  the 
Home  Guard.  "  They  was  all  mad,  I  tell  yon, 
and  some  of  them  was  for  hanging  Lambert." 

"I  wish  to  goodness  they  had,"  said  Captain 
Tom,  speaking  before  he  thought.  "That  is 
to  say,  I  wish  they  had  done  something  to 
him  before  he  brought  me  into  all  this  trouble. 
Was  that  what  frightened  him  ?" 

"You're  mighty  right,  and  he  took  to  the 
bresh  as  soon  as  he  got  wind  of  it.  But  he 
come  out  this  morning  and  we  all  have 
promised  to  stand  by  him.  If  they  put  a 
ugly  hand  on  one  of  the  company  we  uns 
allow  to  burn  them  out." 

"That's  the  idea!"  cried  Tom,  who  never 
would  have  thought  of  such  a  thing  himself. 
"  I  see  very  plainly  that  we've  got  to  do  some- 
thing to  protect  ourselves.  We  are  State 
troops,  and  if  these  cowardly  citizens  drive  us 
to  it  we  will  treat  them  as  we  would  the 
armed  enemies  of  our  country  if  we  could 
only  get  at  them.  We'll  begin  on  old  man 
G-ray  and  never  let  up  until  we've  destroyed 
everything  he's  got.     No  man  who  dares  to 


CAPTAIN    IIOACII   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     151 

threaten  me  and    those  who   serve  under  me 

shall  hold  up  his  head  as  high Sh  !     Here 

comes  my  mother.  Don't  say  a  word  in  her 
hearing,  but  tell  Lambert  I'll  see  him  after  a 
while  and  arrange  a  jjlan  of  operations  with 
him." 

Just  then  Mrs.  Randolph  came  out  on  the 
porch  with  the  note  she  had  written,  and 
which  she  presented  for  Tom's  apxu'oval.  It 
was  not  written  in  his  name,  but  in  her  own. 
She  said  she  regretted  that  her  son  did  not 
feel  able  to  accept  the  captain's  kind  invita- 
tion, owing  to  the  excitement  and  distress  of 
mind  into  which  he  had  been  thrown  by  the 
unfortunate  occurrences  of  the  last  few  hours, 
but  if  Captain  Roach  would  honor  her  by 
coming  up  to  dinner  at  the  usual  hour  she 
hoped  he  would  find  Captain  Randolph  so 
far  recovered  that  he  would  be  able  to  talk 
over  with  him  the  very  important  business 
to  which  Captain  Roach  had  referred  in  his 
note. 

The  result  of  this  piece  of  strategy  was  that 
an  open  rupture  between  Captain  Tom  and 
the  conscript  officer  was  avoided  ;  and  when 


152  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

the  latter,  who  had  been  so  frightened  and 
angered  by  the  threats  of  the  Baton  Ronge 
committee  that  he  was  several  times  on  the 
point  of  doing  something  desperate,  came  \vp 
to  dinner  "at  the  usnal  hour,"  he  Avas  the 
same  pleasant  and  agreeable  fellow  he  had. 
always  been.  But  he  found  Captain  Tom 
lying  on  the  sofa  in  dressing-gown  and  slip- 
pers, and  looking  the  picture  of  misery.  Be- 
fore he  advanced  to  take  the  limp  palm  that 
Tom  languidly  extended  he  stopj)ed  in  the 
middle  of  the  room  and  asked  if  someone  had 
been  laying  violent  hands  upon  him.  To  be 
candid  he  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing 
for  Tom  if  the  citizens  would  shake  him  up  a 
little. 

"No,  sir,"  was  the  very  dignified  reply. 
"Physical  pain  would  not  do  a  Randolph  up 
in  this  way.  It  is  purely  mental  anguish  ; 
and  my  honor  has  been  touched.  I  little 
jthought  that  I  should  ever  i)ermit  living  men 
to  talk  as  those  Baton  Rouge  ruffians  talked 
to  me  this  morning  without  promptly  calling 
them  to  account  for  it.  But  my  Home  Guards 
were  clearly  in  the  w^rong  when  they  fired  upon 


CAPTAIN  ROACH  LAYS  DOWN  THE  LAW,  153 

that  boat  without  my  orders,  so  what  could  I 
say  or  do  ?  " 

Captain  Roach,  who  had  had  plenty  of  time 
to  cool  off  and  recover  his  courage  since  he 
wrote  that  note,  smiled  pleasantly,  gave 
Tom's  hand  a  cordial  shake,  j)ulled  wp  a  chair, 
and  said  that  the  committee  had  been  quite  as 
savage  with  himself  as  they  had  been  with  his 
friend  Tom,  and  that  he  had  thought  it  the 
I)art  of  wisdom  to  comply  with  their  demands 
when  he  saw  that  they  carried  revolvers  in 
their  coat-pockets,  and  were  in  just  the  right 
mood  to  use  them.  He  said  that  he  had  con- 
scripted all  the  Home  Guards  except  Tom,  as 
he  had  agreed  to  do,  because  he  did  not  see 
how  he  could  heliD  himself.  It  would  be  very 
little  trouble  for  the  Baton  Rouge  people,  with 
the  aid  of  Rodney  Gray's  father  and  a  score 
of  others  whose  names  the  captain  could  men- 
tion, to  keep  watch  of  the  way  things  were 
done  at  the  enrolling  office,  and  if  he  failed  to 
keep  his  promise  they  would  be  sure  to  find  it 
out ;  but  he  had  conscripted  the  Home  Guards 
conditionally.  If  they  would  behave  them- 
selves in  future  and  take  orders  from  their 


154  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

captain  instead  of  their  first  lieutenant  he 
would  not  send  them  to  camp  until  the  last 
minute,  and  not  at  all  if  he  could  help  it ;  but 
the  first  man  who  kicked  out  of  the  traces 
would  be  the  first  to  be  sent  to  the  front. 
Lambert  and  the  rest  understood  this  per- 
fectly, and  had  agreed  to  be  bound  by  his 
decision. 

"That's  the  idea!"  cried  Captain  Tom, 
delighted  to  learn  that  at  last  he  had  his 
refractory  men  right  where  he  wanted  them. 
"That's  the  way  to  bring  mutineers  to  time. 
There  will  be  no  more  trouble  of  this  kind,  I 
assure  you,  for  I  talked  to  some  of  my  troops 
very  plainly  this  morning,  and  made  Lambert 
knuckle  in  a  way  that  would  have  surprised 
you  if  you  could  have  seen  it.  Of  course  I 
shall  have  to  steer  clear  of  Baton  Rouge,  but 
I  don't  care  much  for  that  ;  although  I  con- 
fess it  nettles  me  to  feel  that  I  cannot  go  and 
come  when  I  please,  as  I  liave  always  been  in 
the  habit  of  doing." 

Mrs.  Randolph  remained  in  the  room  long 
enough  to  assure  herself  that  the  relations  ex- 
isting between  Captain  Roach  and  her  son  had 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE  LAW.     155 

not  been  strained  by  tlie  events  of  the  morn- 
ing, and  then,  bestowing  an  approving  smile 
upon  each,  she  arose  and  went  out  ;  where- 
upon Captain  Tom  got  upon  his  feet  and  care- 
fully closed  the  door  behind  her. 

"Say  !  "  he  whispered  when  he  came  back 
and  resumed  his  position  on  the  sofa,  "did 
you  know  that  the  town  was  in  possession 
of  a  mob  last  night,  and  that  some  Yankee 
sympathizers  among  them  had  the  impudence 
to  threaten  me  and  my  man  Lambert  ?  " 

"I  know  all  about  it,"  replied  Captain 
Roach,  an  expression  of  anxiety  settling  on 
his  face.  "But  they  were  not  Yankee  sym- 
pathizers, for  men  of  that  stamp  would  not 
dare  open  their  heads  in  this  community. 
They  were  as  good  Confederates  as  you  or  I." 

"Don't  you  believe  any  such  stuif,"  ex- 
claimed Tom.  "There  isn't  a  word  of  truth 
in  it.  I  know  that  Rodney  Gray  is  a  low- 
down  private  in  our  army  (he  isn't  considered 
worthy  of  a  commission),  but  his  father's 
loyalty  has  always  been  suspected,  and  last 
night  he  proposed  that  his  gang  of  blackguards 
should  whip  me  and  hang  Lambert.     Now  I 


156  EODJfEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tell  you  that  a  man  who  talks  that  way  about 
me " 

"Somebody  has  told  you  what  Isn't  so," 
interrupted  Captain  Roach,  "  Such  a  propo- 
sition was  made  last  night,  but  Mr.  Gray 
would  not  hear  to  it.  He  and  a  few  others 
talked  it  down  on  the  spot." 

"  Well,  it's  a  good  thing  for  old  Gray  that 
he  did,  and  if  he  knows  when  he  is  watching 
his  own  interests  he  will  take  pains  to  keep  it 
talked  down,"  said  Captain  Tom  fiercely.  "I 
was  ready  for  him,  and  if  you  hadn't  told  me 
what  you  have  he  would  have  lost  some  of  his 
buildings  this  very  night." 

•The  enrolling  officer  had  seldom  been  so 
surprised  and  startled.  He  looked  fixedly  at 
Tom  to  see  if  he  was  in  earnest,  and  then  cried 
out  in  alarm  : 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  are  saying?  Are 
you  crazy  ? ' ' 

"I  know  what  I  am  saying  and  I  am  not 
crazy,"  was  Tom's  answer.  "I  have  been 
threatened  with  a  nigger's  punishment,  and  I 
never  will  rest  easy  until  the  man  who  pro- 
posed the  thing  suffers  for  it." 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     157 

"But  you  don't  know  who  proposed  it  and 
neitlier  do  I." 

"No  matter.  I'll  make  it  my  business  to 
find  out." 

"  And  if  you  succeed  are  you  going  to  burn 
some  buildings  ? " 

"  I  am,  most  decidedly." 

"You  have  fully  made  up  your  mind  to 
that,  have  youl" 

"I  have." 

"Please  present  my  compliments  to  your 
mother  when  she  returns,  and  say  to  her  that 
I  could  not  stop  to  dinner,"  exclaimed  Captain 
Roach,  rising  to  his  feet  and  reaching  for  his 
cap. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  Where  are 
you  going  in  such  a  hurry?"  Tom  almost 
gasped. 

"I  am  going  to  my  office,  and  the  first  hard 
work  I  shall  do  after  I  get  there  will  be  to  put 
it  out  of  your  power  to  ruin  yourself  and  your 
father  and  mother,  as  you  seem  bent  on  do- 
ing," answered  the  captain;  and  there  Avas  a 
look  of  quiet  determination  on  his  face  that 
Tom  had  never  seen  there  before.     "Of  course 


158  EODNEY,  THE   OVEKSEER. 

you  do  not  intend  to  do  this  incenditiry  work 
alone  (you  haven't  got  pluck  enough  for 
that,"  the  captain  added  to  himself),  "so  I 
shall  make  all  haste  to  send  your  men  into  the 
army  where  they  can't  help  you.  They  will 
be  the  death  of  you  if  I  don't." 

"  And  must  I  let  a  man  talk  about  whipping 
me  as  if  I  were  a  nigger  and  never  do  or  say 
the  first  thing  about  it  ? "  cried  Tom,  throwing 
himself  back  upon  the  pillow  and  covering  his 
face  with  his  hands.  "  I  am  not  made  of  that 
sort  of  stuff,  and  I  did  not  think  a  Confederate 
officer  would  advise  me  to  such  a  cowardly 
course." 

"  What  would  you  call  a  thing  in  the  shape 
of  a  man  who  woukl  sneak  up  on  another's 
property,  in  the  dead  of  night  when  there  was 
no  one  to  oppose  him,  and  touch  a  match 
to  it?"  exclaimed  Captain  Roach  hotly. 
"Would  you  call   him  a  coward  or  not?" 

"  I  don't  care,"  whined  Tom.  "  I  am  bound 
to  have  revenge  on  the  man  wlio  dared  to  say 
that  I  ought  to  be  whipped,  and  I  won't  give 
up  my  plan." 

"You'll  have  to  take  the    consequences; 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     159 

and  if  you  don't  promise  right  here  and  now 
that  you  will  be  governed  by  me  in  future,  I  Avill 
go  out  of  this  house  and  never  enter  it  again  ; 
and  you  know  well  enough  what  that  means. 
I  am  not  going  to  let  you  send  me  to  the  army 
in  disgrace  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  Sit  down  a  minute,"  said  Tom,  seeing  that 
the  captain  stood  ready  to  carry  out  his  threat 
to  leave  the  house.  "I  don't  see  how  the 
burning  of  a  cotton-gin  or  two  will  disgrace 
you  or  anybody  else." 

"  Yes,  you  do  ;  for  I  have  explained  it  to  you 
more  than  a  hundred  times.  Mr.  Gray  and 
some  others  are  almost  ready  to  report  me  now 
for  my  failure  to  make  you  and  your  worthless 
men  take  your  chances  with  the  other  con- 
scripts, and  the  minute  somebody  begins  to 
lose  property  that  minute  I  shall  be  ordered 
away  from  here  and  into  the  army;  and 
wouldn't  that  put  me  in  disgrace,  I'd  like 
to  know?" 

"What's  the  use  of  my  being  captain  of 
the  Home  Guards  if  I  can't  call  upon  my  men 
to  protect  me?"  cried  Tom,  who  would  have 
given  something  to  be  alone  for  about  five 


160        EODNEY,  THE  OVEESEER. 

minutes  so  that  he  might  have  found  relief  in 
a  flood  of  tears. 

"  There  isn't  a  bit  of  use  in  it,"  replied  the 
enrolling  officer  bluntly,  "  except  that  it  keeps 
you  out  of  the  army  with  my  help.  Your  com- 
mission gives  you  no  authority  to  call  upon 
the  members  of  a  State  organization  to  avenge 
your  supposed  j^rivate  wrongs." 

' '  Well — why  don' t  you  sit  down  ? ' '  repeated 
Tom. 

"  I  will  when  I  have  your  promise,  and  not 
before.  If  you  have  laid  your  plans  to  get  me 
into  a  muss  with  the  Governor,  I  must  head 
you  off  if  I  can." 

"Then  I  Avill  make  no  effort  to  wipe  out  the 
disgrace  that  has  been  put  upon  me  as  long  as 
you  remain  in  town,"  said  Tom  very  reluct- 
antly. "But  after  you  leave  I'll  make  some 
people  I  know  of  wish  they  had  spoken  of 
Captain  Randolph  with  more  resx)ect.  Now 
sit  down  and  act  like  yourself." 

"You  ought  to  go  straight  to  Mr.  Gray  and 
thank  him  ;  for  if  he  and  his  friends  had 
not  stood  by  you  last  night  you  might  have 
been  badly  treated,"  answered  Captain  Roach, 


CAPTAIN   ROACH   LAYS   DOWN   THE   LAW.     161 

placing  his  cap  on  the  table  again  and  resum- 
ing his  seat  by  Tom's  side.  "Yon  and  I  do 
not  want  to  go  into  the  army,  and  yon  must 
see  that,  in  order  to  keep  out  of  it,  it  will  be 
necessary  for  you  to  follow  a  different  course 
from  the  one  you  have  marked  out  for  your- 
self. If  I  am  reported  for  neglect  of  duty 
the  jig  will  be  up  with  you." 

"Then  I  must  lie  around  and  do  nothing, 
must  I?" 

"Is  there  anything  else  you  can  do  with 
safety?  You  can  ride  about  the  country  at 
the  head  of  your  Home  Guards  occasionally, 
just  to  let  the  Union  men  see  that  you  are 
keeping  up  your  organization,  and  after  I 
receive  word  that  the  camp  of  instruction  has 
been  established,  you  can  take  the  conscripts 
there  as  fast  as  I  can  get  them  together  ;  and 
that's  about  all  you  can  do." 

"It's  a  dog's  life  compared  with  what  I 
thought  a  partisan's  life  would  be,"  growled 
Tom,  "and  perhaps  it  isn't  safe  for  me  to  ride 
about  the  country.  The  threats  that  were 
made  against  me  last  night " 

"Will  amount  to  nothing,  I  assure  you," 
11 


162        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

interrupted  Captain  Roach.  "  Tlie  hot-heads 
who  made  them  and  who  seemed  to  be  so  fierce 
for  a  fuss  are  few  ia  number,  and  have  had 
time  to  recover  their  senses  since  then.  You 
can't  find  a  man  in  town  who  will  say  that  he 
was  willing  to  go  with  the  rabble  last  night ; 
and  more  than  that,  the  order-loving  people  in 
the  community  would  not  stand  by  and  see  a 
mob  run  things  to  suit  themselves.  You  saw 
Lambert  this  morning,  didn't  you?  Well,  he 
goes  around  as  freely  as  he  ever  did,  and  no 
one  says  a  word  to  him." 

Captain  Tom  tliought  of  the  compact  that 
Lambert  and  the  rest  of  the  Home  Guards  had 
made  to  stand  by  one  another  in  case  of 
trouble  with  the  citizens,  but  thought  it  best 
to  say  nothing  about  it  to  his  friend  Roach. 
Of  course  he  had  to  give  the  required  x^i'omise 
over  and  over  again  before  the  conscript  officer 
became  satisfied  of  his  sinceritj^,  and  he  did  it 
with  apparent  willingness ;  but  all  the  while 
he  was  telling  himself  that  the  men  who  had 
threatened  to  whip  him  as  if  he  were  a  nigger, 
no  matter  who  they  were,  would  hear  from 
him  some  day,  and  in  a  way  they  would  not 


CAPTAIN   KOACII   LAYS    DOWN   THE   LAW.     103 

like.  It  took  a  great  load  off  liis  mind  to 
know  that  lie  would  not  be  mobbed  as  soon  as 
lie  showed  himself  in  Mooreville.  In  fact  it 
cured  his  "excitement  and  distress  of  mind" 
in  a  very  few  minutes ;  and  when  his  mother 
returned  at  the  end  of  half  an  hour  he  had 
discarded  his  gown  and  slippers,  and  was 
sitting  up  dressed  in  his  full  uniform. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION. 

WHEN  Captain  Roach  went  to  his  office 
that  evening,  after  the  best  dinner  he 
had  ever  eaten  in  that  house,  Tom  Randolph 
rode  down  with  him  ;  and  before  he  had  gone 
half  a  mile  was  able  to  tell  himself  that  he 
had  been  borrowing  trouble  and  without 
reason.  He  saw  no  coldness  whatever  in  the 
greetings  of  those  he  met  along  the  road,  and 
the  few  who  stopped  to  speak  with  him  about 
the  occurrences  of  the  previous  day  declared 
with  one  accord  that  they  did  not  lay  any 
blame  at  his  door ;  but  the  way  they  de- 
nounced and  threatened  Lieutenant  Lambert 
was  a  pleasant  thing  for  Tom  to  hear. 

"That  man's  election  wasn't  legal  any 
way,"  was  what  Tom  always  said  in  reply. 
"But  because  I  have  permitted  him  to  act  as 
my  second  in  command  he  has  somehow  got  it 
into  his  head  that  he  is  a  bigger  man  than  I 


A    PERPLEXING   SITUATION",  165 

am,  and  has  a  right  to  do  as  he  pleases.  If 
he  has  at  hist  found  out  that  I  know  a  trifle 
more  than  he  does,  and  that  it  is  a  soldier's 
place  to  wait  for  orders  from  his  superior,  it 
will  be  a  good  thing  for  Lambert.  If  the 
Baton  Rouge  people  want  those  gunboats 
driven  away  from  their  town  and  will  send 
me  word,  I  will  go  down  and  do  the  work  for 
them  as  it  ought  to  be  done." 

Tom  knew  that  he  was  quite  safe  in  talking 
in  this  lofty  way,  for  he  had  learned  during 
his  interview  with  the  committee  that  the 
people  of  Baton  Rouge  would  not  look  kindly 
upon  or  support  any  effort  that  was  made  to 
drive  the  boats  away.  As  long  as  they  were 
let  alone  the  Yankees  were  not  unpleasant 
fellows  to  have  around.  They  put  good  food 
into  the  mouths  of  some  of  the  city  people, 
good  hats  and  shoes  on  their  heads  and  feet, 
and  good  money  in  their  pockets,  and  were  on 
the  whole  more  desirable  neighbors  than  their 
own  enlisted  men  would  have  been,  for  the 
latter  had  nothing  to  give  in  exchange  for 
garden  produce  and  milk  and  butter  and  eggs. 
But  the  energetic  manner  in  which  they  went 


166  KODNEY,  THE   OVETISEETI. 

to  work  to  scatter  Lambert's  Home  Guards 
proved  that  these  peaceable  gunboat  men  were 
ready  to  fight  at  a  moment's  notice. 

Captain  Tom's  courage  and  importance  came 
back  to  him  rai)id]y  when  he  found  that  tlie 
situation  was  by  no  means  as  serious  as  he  had 
supposed  it  to  be  ;  and  when  he  saw  that  even 
Lambert  was  willing  to  acknowledge  his  au- 
thority, he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  that 
indignation  meeting  at  the  hotel,  and  the  visit 
of  the  Baton  Rouge  committee,  were  the  best 
tilings  that  could  have  happened  to  him  and 
the  Home  Guards.  He  found  Lambert  in  his 
usual  loafing  place  in  Kimberly's  store.  In- 
deed the  man  was  afraid  to  go  very  far  away 
from  there,  for  tliere  was  no  telling  what 
might  be  said  and  done  against  him  if  he 
should  absent  himself.  He  saluted  Captain 
Tom  respectfully,  and  followed  him  out  of  the 
back  door  in  obedience  to  a  motion  of  his 
finger. 

"Look  here,  lieutenant,"  said  Tom,  when 
they  were  alone  together,  "I  do  not  in  the 
least  blame  you  for  saying  that'  you  would 
like  to  see  Rodney  Gray's  father  burned  out 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  167 

to  pay  liim  for  what  lie  said  against  you  last 
night,  but " 

"Somebody's  been  a-lying  on  me,"  ex- 
chiimed  Lambert,  looking  alarmed.  "  I  never 
said  no  such  stuff." 

"Oh,  what  is  the  use  of  denying  it  to  a 
friend?"  said  Tom,  with  most  unbecoming 
familiarity,  "But  I  don't  ask  whether  you 
intend  to  burn  him  out  or  not.  What  I  want 
to  say  is,  that  you  must  on  no  account  think 
of  it  so  long  as  Cai^tain  Roach  stays  here.  If 
you  do  you  will  get  him  into  trouble  with  the 
Governor,  and  he  will  pay  you  for  it  by  send- 
ing you  and  all  the  men  to  the  front." 

"  And  you  too  ?  "  asked  Lambert. 

"  He  can't  conscript  a  commissioned  officer, 
can  he?"  said  Tom,  in  reply.  "No,  he  can't 
do  that ;  and  if  you  will  promise  that  you  will 
never  do  another  thing  without  my  express 
orders,  I  will  see  that  he.  doesn't  conscript 
you,  either." 

"All  right,  cap'n.  I  knuckle  to  you. 
That's  what  I  said  this  morning,  and  I  meant 
it.  I'll  move  when  you  say  the  word  and  not 
before." 


1C8  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"If  you  had  made  that  sensible  resolution 
long  ago  you  would  have  saved  yourself  and 
me  from  insult,"  said  Tom,  looking  at  his  lieu- 
tenant as  if  he  would  like  to  give  him  another 
piece  of  his  mind.  "If  you  have  learned  that 
I  am  the  head  of  the  company  I  am  glad  of  it ; 
hut  if  you  want  to  do  anything  to  old  man 
Gray  on  your  own  hook — on  your  own  hook,  I 
said — why,  that  is  a  matter  with  which  I  have 
nothing  to  do.  However,  jon  must  wait  until 
Roach  leaves  Mooreville." 

So  saying.  Captain  Tom  saluted  and  went 
into  the  office.  When  the  door  closed  behind 
him  Lambert  shook  both  his  clenched  hands 
at  it,  and  said  through  his  tightly  shut 
teeth  : 

"That's  a  matter  you  have  nothing  to  do 
with,  is  it?  Well,  I  reckon  it  is  ;  and  you 
don't  get  Sile  Lambert  into  a  furse  with  no 
such  oily  words  as  them.  I  know  what  you 
want  mighty  well,  but  I  just  aint  a-going  to 
do  it.  You  can  pester  ole  man  Gray  yourself 
if  you  feel  like  it,  and  when  the  job  is  done 
I'll  tell  him  where  to  find  the  chap  who  done 
it.      ril  learn   you  to   keep   my  commission 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  1G9 

from  me  and  pull  a  sword  on  me  besides,  the 
way  you  done  this  morning.  By  gum  !  If  I 
wasn't  af eared  I'd  go  and  make  friends  with 
the  Yankees  the  way  the  Baton  Rouge  folks 
do.  I'll  risk  it  any  way  before  I  will  let  my- 
self be  conscripted." 

Having  weathered  this  storm  without  suffer- 
ing very  much  damage  excej^t  so  far  as  his 
feelings  were  concerned,  and  quiet  having  been 
restored  in  the  community,  Captain  Tom 
settled  back  into  his  old  lazy  way  of  passing 
the  time,  and  waited  for  something  exciting  to 
happen.  Tlie  first  news  out  of  the  ordinary 
that  came  to  his  ears  was  that  Baton  Rouge 
had  been  occupied  by  Federal  troops,  much  to 
the  gratification  of  the  citizens,  both  Union  and 
Confederate,  who  experienced  so  delightful  a 
sense  of  security  when  they  saw  the  blue-coats 
on  tlieir  streets  that  they  forgot  all  about  the 
Mooreville  Home  Guards,  and  never  took  the 
trouble  to  inquire  whether  they  had  been  con- 
scripted or  not.  But  Captain  Roach  looked 
grave,  and  well  he  migiit.  He  had  issued  an 
order  to  the  effect  that  those  he  had  con- 
scripted must  report  at  his  office  at  least  once 


170  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

in  every  twenty-four  hours  to  sliow  that  they 
were  still  on  hand  and  ready  to  receive  march- 
ing orders  ;  but  on  the  day  the  news  came 
that  the  Yankees  had  garrisoned  the  city,  only 
■fifteen  out  of  forty-five  presented  themselves. 
Two-thirds  of  their  number  had  left  home 
and  friends  behind  and  sought  refuge  in  the 
city. 

"This  is  a  pretty  state  of  affairs,"  ex- 
claimed Tom,  when  Captain  Roach  told  him 
of  it.  "Those  men  are  not  worthy  to  be 
called  Southerners.  Before  I  would  show  my- 
self so  cowardly  I  would  gO  somewhere  and 
hang  myself.  What  will  you  do  with  them 
when  they  come  back  ?  " 

"They'll  not  come  back,"  replied  the  en- 
rolling ofiicer.  "They  will  stay  where  they 
are  safe,  and  no  doubt  desertions  will  be  of 
daily  occurrence  as  long  as  the  Yankees 
remain  in  the  city." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  a  good  plan  for  me  to  go 
down  there  and  harass  them  by  driving  in 
their  pickets  now  and  then?"  inquired  Tom. 
He  did  not  know  exactly  what  was  meant  by 
driving  in  an  enemy's  pickets,  but  he  had  read 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  171 

in  the  papers  that  it  was  often  done  by  the 
sokliers  in  both  armies. 

"What  good  would  it  do?"  asked  Captain 
Roach . 

"  Why,  the  enemy  wouldn't  stay  where  they 
were  bushwhacked  every  time  they  showed 
themselves,  would  they  ?  A  few  determined 
men  could  torment  them  as  the  buffalo  gnats 
torment  our  stock." 

"You  must  be  a  lunatic  or  take  me  for 
one,"  was  what  Captain  Roach  said  in  reply. 
"Why  can't  you  be  content  to  let  the  Yan- 
kees alone  so  long  as  they  are  willing  to  let  us 
alone  1  If  you  sliould  fire  on  their  pickets 
they  would  send  their  cavalry  all  through  tlie 
country  about  here,  and  there's  no  telling  how 
much  damage  they  would  do." 

"Do  you  think  they  have  brought  cavalry 
with  them?"  cried  Tom,  a  most  alarming 
thought  suggesting  itself  to  him  at  the  mo- 
ment. 

"  Why,  of  course.  They  want  to  know  what 
is  going  on  outside  the  city,  don't  they  ?  And 
how  are  they  to  find  out  except  through  their 
cavalry?     You   may  see  blue-coats  in  Moore- 


172  IlODlSrET,  THE   OVERSEER. 

ville  before  sundown.  You  stny  at  home  and 
mind  your  business,  for  I  hope  to  have  u»e  for 
you  presently." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  hope  to  send  me  off 
with  some  conscripts  ?  " 

"That  is  what  I  mean.  I  sliall  have  to  re- 
port these  desertions,  and  perhaps  it  will  open 
the  eyes  of  the  State  enrolling  officer  to  the 
fact  that  he  ought  to  have  had  that  cam j)  of 
instruction  in  full  blast  long  ago." 

"But  suppose  a  squad  of  Yankee  cavalry 
should  intercept  me  on  the  road?"  said  Tom 
in  a  trembling  voice. 

"Then  you  would  have  to  fight,  that's  all. 
If  you  whipped  them  it  would  be  a  fine*  thing 
for  you  and  might  lead  to  promotion.  If  they 
wiiipped  you  they  would  release  your  pris- 
oners and  take  you  and  your  men  away  with 
them." 

"And  then  they  would  send  me  up  North, 
and  I  might  not  see  home  again  for  long 
years,"  faltered  Tom  ;  and  everyone  in  the 
office  saw  that  he  was  badly  frightened  at  the 
prospect. 

"Exactly.     You  took  your  chances  on  that 


A  PERPLEXING   SITUATION".  173 

when  you  accepted  your  commission,  you 
know.  Now,  I  wish  you  to  go  to  work  on 
your  men  and  see  that  they  are  in  some  sort  of 
shape  when  marching  orders  come.  There  will 
be  guards  at  the  camp,  and  I  hope  your  com- 
pany will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  them." 
Captain  Tom  saw  very  clearly  that  his 
connection  with  the  Home  Guards  was  not 
likely  to  keep  him  entirely  out  of  reach  of 
the  dreaded  Yankees  ;  and  when  he  looked 
through  the  open  door  and  his  gaze  rested 
upon  an  acquaintance  of  his  who  happened  to 
be  passing  at  that  moment,  another  alarming 
thought  forced  itself  upon  him.  It  was  Ned 
Griffin,  and  he  was  mounted  on  one  of  Mr. 
Gray's  blooded  horses.  He  smiled  joleasantly 
at  Tom,  nodded  to  the  Home  Guards  clustered 
about  the  door,  and  looked  on  the  whole  as 
though  he  felt  well  satisfied  with  himself  and 
with  his  lot  in  life.  Not  only  was  he  comforta- 
bly settled  as  overseer  on  one  of  Mr.  Gray's  fine 
plantations,  but  there  was  no  possible  chance 
that  he  would  ever  be  forced  into  the  army 
against  his  will ;  and  that  was  more  than  Cap- 
tain Randolph  could  say  for  himself. 


174        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

"How  I  sliould  enjoy  knocking  that  beggar 
out  of  his  saddle,"  said  the  latter  under  his 
breath.  Then  lie  bent  over  and  whispered  some 
earnest  words  into  the  ear  of  the  enrolling  offi- 
cer. "Look  here,  Roach,"  said  he,  "will  you 
do  me  the  favor  to  keep  the  date  of  marching 
a  secret  from  everybody  except  myself." 

"I'd  be  glad  to  if  you  wish  it;,  but  I  don't 
see  how  I  can,"  said  the  captain  in  surprise. 
"I  shall  have  to  notify  the  conscri^Dts  them- 
selves, won't  I?  And  if  they  choose  to  pub- 
lish it,  as  undoubtedly  they  will  in  order  to 
give  their  friends  opportunity  to  come  to  the 
office  and  bid  them  good-by,  how  am  I  going 
to  hinder  it  ?  What  difference  does  it  make 
to  you,  anyway  ?  " 

"It  may  make  all  the  difference  in  the 
world,"  whispered  Tom.  "That  fellow  who 
just  rode  by  would  ask  nothing  better  than  to 
send  or  take  word  to  the  Yankees  where  they 
could  capture  me  and  a  squad  of  conscripts  on 
a  certain  day. 

"Whew!  "  whistled  the  captain.  "If  he 
does  that  I'll  arrest  him  and  ship  him  off  to 
Richmond." 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  175 

"  But  would  that  make  a  free  man  of  me  ?  " 
demanded  Tom  impatiently.  "And  how  are 
you  going  to  prove  it  on  him  ?  " 

"That's  so;  and  when  it  comes  to  that  I 
don't  suppose  Griffin  is  the  only  one  about 
here  who  would  be  glad  to  see  you  and  all  the 
Home  Guards  packed  oif  to  a  Northern  prison. 
The  only  thing  you  can  do  is  to  look  out  for 
yourself.  Take  as  big.  a  squad  Avith  you  as 
you  can  muster,  and  stand  ready  to  fight  your 
way." 

Captain  Tom  was  almost  disheartened,  but 
made  one  more  effort  to  shirk  the  duty  to 
which,  until  this  particular  morning,  he  had 
looked  forward  with  the  liveliest  anticipa- 
tions of  pleasure. 

"Can't  you  ask  the  Confederate  authorities 
to  send  regular  troops  here  to  act  as  guards, 
and  leave  me  at  home  to  protect  the  town  ?" 
said  he  desperately.  He  knew  it  was  a  con- 
fession of  cowardice  on  his  part,  but  he  did 
not  care  a  snap  for  that. 

"Protect  the  town!"  said  Captain  Roach 
in  great  disgust.  "No,  I  can't.  Yes,  on 
second  thought,   I  can  ;   but  it  will  end  in 


176        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

yoii  and  the  Home  Guards  being  sent  to  tlie 
front." 

The  captain  spoke  impatiently  and  jerked 
a  sheet  of  paper  toward  him  on  tlie  desk,  in- 
timating by  the  action  that  he  could  not 
waste  any  more  time  with  his  friend  Tom  just 
then,  and  the  latter  walked  out  of  the  office, 
mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  slowly  homeward. 
Something  was  forever  happening  to  upset  his 
plans,  and  this  last  trouble  was  all  the  fault  of 
that  man  Lambert.  If  he  had  not  fired  upon 
that  unarmed  boat  the  Federals  Avould  never 
have  thought  it  necessary  to  send  a  force  to 
Baton  Rouge,  and  Captain  Tom  could  have 
escorted  his  conscri^^ted  neighbors  to  the  camp 
of  instruction  without  fear  of  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  blue-coated  cavahy.  He  would 
have  had  many  opportunities  to  show  his  fine 
sword  and  uniform  to  soldiers  from  other  parts 
of  the  State,  and  could  have  talked  as  big 
as  he  pleased  about  whipping  iron-clad  gun- 
boats in  a  fair  fight.  He  had  hoped  to  gain 
admirers  among  the  officers  stationed  at  the 
camp,  and  perhaps  he  could  have  himself  rec- 
ommended  to    fill   the   commanding    officer's 


A    PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  177 

place  wlien  tlie  latter  was  ordered  to  take  the 
field. 

"But  tliat's  all  past  and  gone  now,"  said 
Tom  as  he  saw  these  bright  hopes  disappear- 
ing like  the  river  mists  before  the  rising  sun. 
•"If  the  Yankee  cavalry  blocks  my  Avay,  as 
it  surely  will  if  Ned  Griffin  gets  a  chance  to 
send  them  word,  I  just  know  I  shall  be  cap- 
tured, for  I  can't  expect  raw  troojDs  like  my 
Home  Guards  to  stand  against  veterans.  I 
wish  Lambert  had  been  hanged  before  he  fired 
on  that  boat.  Who  are  these,  I  wonder  ? 
Strangers  *  and  spies,  I'll  bet." 

This  was  another  thonght  that  troubled  him, 
and  if  there  had  been  a  branch  road  that  Tom 
could  have  turned  into  he  would,  have  taken 
it  rather  than  meet  the  two  civilians  he  saw 
riding  toward  him.  But  there  was  no  escape 
and  so  he  kept  on  his  way  ;  and  as  he  drew 
nearer  to  them  his  eyes  began  to  open  wider 
and  an  expression  of  amazement  came  to  his 
face.  He  recognized  the  horses  they  rode  and 
the  clothes  they  wore,  and  finally  it  dawned 
upon  him  that  the  tanned  and  weather-beaten 
countenance  of  one  was  familiar,  though  the 

12 


178  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEE. 

boy  to  whom  it  belonged  had  grown  wonder- 
fully tall  and  broad-shouldered  since  he  last 
saw  him — so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  his  clothes 
were  too  small  for  him.  If  there  was  any 
doubt  in  Captain  Randolj)h's  mind  it  vanished 
when  a  cheery  voice  called  out : 

"Hallo,  Tom— ee!" 

Tom  knew  the  voice  and  the  odious  name  by 
which  he  had  been  addressed.  It  was  the  one 
with  which  his  mother  used  to  summon  him 
into  the  house  in  the  days  gone  by — with  a 
shrill  rising  inflection  on  the  last  syllable. 
His  first  thought  was  to  take  no  notice  of  the 
greeting  or  to  make  an  angry  rejoinder ;  but 
he  remembered  in  time  that  he  had  stood  in 
fear  of  this  same  boy  when  he  was  several 
pounds  lighter  than  he  was  now.  He  looked 
quite  formidable  as  he  sat  on  his  horse,  and 
no  doubt  during  his  fifteen  months  in  the 
army  had  come  in  contact  with  some  rough 
characters,  and  gained  experience  and  skill  in 
no  end  of  rough  and  tumble  fights ;  so  Tom 
thought  it  wise  to  be  civil. 

"Rodney,"  he  exclaimed,  extending  his 
hand  with  a  groat  show  of  cordiality.     "  You 


A  PERPLEXING   SITUATIOlSr.  179 

don't  know  liow  glad  I  am  to  see  you  back 
safe  and  sound.  How  long  have  you  been  at 
home?" 

"Just  three  days,"  answered  Rodney  Gray, 
for  it  was  he.  "And  this  is  my  old  school- 
mate, Dick  Graham,  who  lives  in  Missouri 
when  he  lives  anywhere.  But  at  present  he  is 
just  staying  wherever  night  overtakes  him." 

Dick  and  Tom  shook  hands,  and  the  latter 
continued  : 

"How  do  you  like  soldiering?  I  suppose 
you  have  seen  some  pretty  rough  times  in  the 
army." 

"Oh,  yes  ;  but  nothing  compared  with  what 
some  have  seen.  Dick  and  I  have  brought  our 
usual  number  of  legs  and  arms  back  with  us, 
but  many  of  our  comrades  were  not  so  lucky. 
Doing  anything  for  your  country  tliese  days  ? " 

Tom's  common-sense,  if  he  had  any,  ought 
to  have  told  him  that  it  would  not  do"  for  him 
to  exaggerate  his  achievements  in  the  presence 
of  Rodney  Gray,  who  knew  him  of  old,  and 
had  seen  so  much  more  service  than  he  had, 
but  he  counted  a  good  deal  on  Rodney's 
ignorance  and    Dick's.      They  had  done  all 


180  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tlieir  campaigning  in  the  interior,  had  never 
seen  the  Mississippi  River  during  their  term 
of  service  except  when  they  crossed  from 
Arkansas  to  Tennessee  to  join  the  Army  of 
the  Centre,  and  perhaps  had  not  had  a  chance 
to  read  a  newspaper  for  six  months,  and  so  he 
thought  he  could  say  what  he  x^leased  and  they 
would  believe  it ;  but  he  reckoned  without  his 
host. 

"I  have  been  verj^  busy  since  I  took  com- 
mand of  the  Home  Guaids,"  he  said,  in  answer 
to  Rodney's  question.  "I  don't  suppose  I 
have  smelled  quite  as  much  powder  as  you 
have,  but  I  have  been  in  some  pretty  hard 
battles  all  the  same." 

"Why,  I  hadn't  heard  of  it,"  said  Rodney, 
looking  surprised. 

"No,  I  don't  imagine  you  had  opportunity 
to  read  the  papers  very  often,  but  I  thought 
perhaps  your  father  had  said  something  about 
it  in  his  letters.  I  have  whipped  two  heavy 
iron-clad  men-of-war " 

"  Two  which?  "  exclaimed  Dick,  while  Rod- 
ney opened  his  eyes  and  looked  still  more 
surjjrised. 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  181 

Captain  Tom  repeated  tlie  words  and  was 
going  on  to  tell  about  the  fights  with  the  gun- 
boats when  Rodney  interrui3ted  him  with  : 

"Did  those  vessels  belong  to  the  upper  or 
lower  fleet? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Tom.  "But  they 
came  up  from  New  Orleans." 

"Then  they  were  not  iron-clads  ;  you  may 
rest  assured  of  that." 

"  Don't  I  know  an  iron-clad  when  I  see  it  ? " 
cried  Tom  angrily.  "  I  have  it  from  good 
authority  that  the  armor  on  their  sides  was 
eleven  inches  thick,  and  that  there  were  four 
feet  of  solid  oak  back  of  that." 

" Great  Moses  !  "  ejaculated  Dick.  "There 
isn't  a  vessel  in  the  Yankee  navy  that  could 
carry  such  a  load  as  that.  Farragut  has  done 
all  his  brilliant  fighting  with  old  wooden 
ships,  and  there  are  no  iron-clads  in  his  fleet 
unless  they  have  come  to  him  since  he  ran 
past  Forts  Jackson   and  St.  Philip." 

"That's  so,"  assented  Rodney.  "There 
isn  t  an  iron-clad  on  the  river  except  those 
with  which  the  Yankees  demolished  our  fleet 
in  front  of  Memphis." 


182        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEEE. 

"How  does  it  come  that  you  land  soldiers 
know  so  much  about  what  is  going  on  here  on 
the  river?  "  demanded  Captain  Tom,  who  was 
very  much  astonished  at  the  extent  of  Rod- 
ney's information  and  Dick's. 

"Oh,  we've  had  chances  to  read  the  papers 
now  and  then,"  replied  the  latter. 

"  And  while  we  were  about  it  we  read  both 
sides,"  chimed  in  Rodney.  "Our  officers 
didn't  like  to  have  us  do  it,  because  the  Yan- 
kee papers  tell  the  truth,  while  our  own  do 
not  scruple  to  lie  outrageously  when  things 
go  against  us." 

,  Captain  Tom  did  not  know  what  answer  to 
make,  for  he  had  never  expected  to  hear  Con- 
federate veterans  talk  like  that.  He  began 
to  have  a  suspicion  that  they  were  traitors  at 
heart,  but  he  prudently  kept  his  thoughts  to 
himself. 

"How  long  do  you  remain  at  home?"  he 
asked  at  length. 

"  Just  as  long  as  I  have  a  home  to  shelter 
me,"  answered  Rodney.  "And  when  the 
Yanks  come  in  here  and  burn  it  down,  as  they 
probably  will  sooner  or  later,  I  shall  take  to 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  183 

tlie  woods.  I  am  sick  and  tired  of  the  service 
and  I  don't  care  who  linows  it.  I  tell  you,  I 
felt  sorry  for  the  poor  fellows  I  saw  in  Camp 
Pinckney,  for  I  know  what  is  before  them  and 
they  don't." 

"  Were  they  prisoners  ?  "  inquired  Tom. 

"Well,  yes;  but  they  didn't  go  by  that- 
name.     They  were  called  conscripts." 

"Why,  how  far  is  that  camp  from  here?" 
said  Tom,  wondering  if  it  was  the  place  to 
which  Captain  Roach  would  forward  his  con- 
scripts when  the  orders  came. 

"About  7000  miles,"  replied  Dick.  "At 
least  I  thought  it  was  that  far  before  we  cov- 
ered the  distance  that  lies  between  its  stock- 
ade and  Rodney's  home." 

"It's  about  sixty  miles,  as  near  as  I  can 
judge,"  said  the  latter.  "Haven't  you  and 
what's  his  name — Roach  ? — raised  men  enough 
to  fill  up  a  squad  yet  ?  Father  says  you  have 
been  working  at  it  for  a  good  while." 

"Captain  Roach  has  mustered  some  men, 
but  has  had  no  orders  to  forward  them.  In 
fact  I  don't  think  he  knows  that  the  camp  of 
instruction  has  been  established." 


184  '     RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"Who's  going  to  take  tliem  tliere  when 
they  are  ready  to  go  ?  " 

"I  am,"  said  Tom  proudly  ;  and  an  instant 
afterward  he  felt  as  though  he  had  signed  his 
own  death  warrant.  There  was  no  chance  for 
him  to  back  out  now.  He  couldn't  be  taken 
suddenly  ill  or  send  Lambert  in  his  place — 
he  would  have  to  go  with  the  conscripts  him- 
self ;  for  that  was  what  he  in  his  haste  said  he 
intended  to  do,  and  if  he  did  not  keep  his 
promise  this  old  enemy  and  rival  of  his  would 
publicly  brand  him  as  a  coward. 

"You  are  ?  You  are  going  to  take  the  con- 
scripts to  the  camp  of  instruction  with  your 
Home  Guards?"  cried  Rodney,  his  face  be- 
coming radiant  when  he  thought  of  the  ob- 
stacles in  the  shape  of  blue-coated  soldiers 
that  Captain  Tom  might  possibly  find  in  his 
way.  "  Hey-youp  !  That  will  be  nuts  for  the 
Yanks,  won't  it,  Dick?" 

"You  bet.  There's  tolerable  maiiy  Yanks 
scattered  around  through  the  woods,  and  like 
as  not  your  friend  will  have  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  some  of  them." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  they  are  scouting 


A  PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  185 

between  here  and  the  camp?"  exclaimed  Tom, 
who  was  ahnost  ready  to  drop  -when  he  heard 
his  worst  fears  confirmed  in  this  positive  way. 

"We  don't  mean  anything  else,"  answered 
Rodney.  "We  ought  to  know,  for  we  ran 
into  a  squad  of  them  on  the  way  home." 

"What  did  they  do  to  you?"  inquired 
Tom,  who  did  not  know  whether  to  believe  it 
or  not. 

"  Nothing.  They  just  covered  us  with  their 
carbines  and  told  us  to  come  in  out  of  the  rain, 
and  we  came." 

"  Humph  !     Why  didn't  you  fight  or  run  ? " 

"Well,  seeing  that  we  had  no  weapons  we 
couldn't  fight;  and  we  know  by  experience 
that  when  a  Yank  points  a  gun  at  you  and 
tells  you  to  move  over  on  his  side  the  line,  you 
had  better  move." 

"  But  how  did  you  escape  ?  " 

"  We  didn't  escape.  We  showed  them  our 
discharges,  and  when  they  told  us  to  git,  we 
got.     Oh,  they  were  gentleman,  high  up." 

"Top-notch,"  assented  Dick. 

"I  never  yet  saw  a  Yankee  who  was  a 
gentleman,"  sneered  Tom. 


186        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

"Look  liere,"  exclaimed  Dick,  who  had 
heard  a  good  deal  about  Tom  Randolph  and 
learned  to  dislike  him  before  he  ever  met  him  ; 
"have  you  much  of  an  acquaintance  with 
live  Yanks — I  mean  with  those  who  wear  uni- 
forms ?" 

Tom  was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had  not. 

"Well,  we've  seen  and  talked  with  a  few 
and  may  be  sui)posed  to  know  something 
about  them  ;  and  when  we  say  that  the  squad 
who  captured  us,  and  might  have  made  us 
trouble  but  didn't,  were  gentlemen,  Ave  mean 
it.  If  we  ever  find  one  of  them  in  a  box  and 
see  a  chance  to  help  him  out,  we  intend  to  im- 
prove it." 

"But  as  you  have  no  discharge  to  show,  you 
had  better  not  permit  yourself  to  fall  into 
their  hands  while  you  have  that  uniform  on," 
said  Rodney.  "By  gracious!  It  makes  my 
old  hat  rise  to  think  how  I  should  feel  if  I 
knew  I  was  going  to  be  ordered  off  to  that 
camp  with  a  lot  of  conscripts.  You  will  lose 
your  prisoners  sure,  and  your  Home  Guards 
will  be  brushed  aside  like  so  many  cobwebs. 
If  you  get  through  with  a  v/hole  skin  we  shall 


A   PERPLEXING   SITUATION.  187 

call  you  a  good  one.  We'd  better  be  riding 
along,  Dick." 

"Now  you've  done  it,"  said  the  latter,  as 
he  and  Rodney  moved  on  and  left  Tom  out  of 
hearing.  "You  have  frightened  him  out  of 
his  wits." 

"  With  your  help  I  think  I  have  given  him 
a  good  scare,"  was  Rodney's  answer.  *  I'll 
bet  you  a  month's  wages  in  good  and  lawful 
money  of  the  Confederacy  that  Tom  Randolph 
never  takes  a  squad  of  conscripts  to  Camp 
Pinckney.  I  know  I  shouldn't  hanker  after 
the  job  if  I  were  in  his  place," 

As  to  Tom  himself,  he  was  about  as  badly 
frightened  as  he  could  be  without  becoming 
frantic,  and  much  against  his  will  he  was 
obliged  to  tell  himself  that  there  was  but  one 
course  of  action  open  to  him.  If  it  was  true 
that  Federal  scouting  parties  had  thrown 
themselves  between  Mooreville  and  Camp 
Pinckney,  he  must  run  the  fearful  risk  of  be- 
ing killed  or  captured  by  them,  or  else  he 
must  resign  his  commission,  exchange  his  fine 
uniform  for  a  citizen's  suit  and  take  the  posi- 
tion  of  overseer  on   his   father's  plantation. 


188  llODNEY,  THE   oVeRSEEE. 

Tom  wanted  to  yell  when  this  alternative  pre- 
sented itself  to  him.  An  overseer  was  on  a 
par  with  a  blacksmith  or  a  car],)enter  or  a 
clerk  in  a  store.  He  had  to  work  for  his  liv- 
ing and  was  in  consequence  a  nobody.  And 
Tom  remembered  how  he  had  railed  at  Ned 
Griffin  when  he  accepted  Mr.  Gray's  offer,  de- 
claring, in  the  hearing  of  everyone  who  would 
listen  to  him,  that  nobody  but  a  poltroon 
would  take  that  way  of  keeping  out  of  the 
service. 

"  And  now  I've  got  to  come  to  it  myself  or 
get  shot,"  whined  Tom.  "  It  will  be  an  awful 
come-down  for  a  man  who  has  held  a  commis- 
sion in  the  service  of  the  State,  but  unless 
mother  can  see  some  other  way  out  I  shall 
have  to  do  it." 

Captain  Tom  wound  up  by  wishing  that 
every  man  v/ho  Avas  in  any  way  responsible 
for  the  war  might  always  feel  as  miserable  as 
he  felt  at  that  moment. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL. 

""TTTHY,  Tom,  what  has  happened  to  make 
V  V     you  look  so  pale  and  hnggard  'i  "  anx- 
iously^ inquired  Mrs.  Randolph,    as  the   per- 
plexed and  discouraged  captain  of  the  Home 
Guards  drew  rein  before  the  door  and  rolled 

•  out  of  his  saddle  instead  of  dismounting  in  his 
usual  soldier-like  fashion.  "Are  you  ill,  or 
have  you  heard  some  terrible  news  ?  " 

"  Both,"  replied  Tom,  giving  his  horse  a 
slap  to  start  him  toward  the  stable,  and  after- 
ward throwing  himself  down  upon  one  of  the 
steps  that  led  up  to  the  porch.  "  Who  do 
you  suppose  has  come  back  to  town  to  worry 
and  torment  me  ?  " 

"I  hope  it  isn't  Rodney  Gray,"  said  his 
mother,  Avho  had  not  forgotten  that  the  Bar- 
rington  boy  had  been  elected  to  office  and 
presented  with  a  sword  by  Bob  Hubbard's 
Rangers,  while  her  son  was  left  in  the  ranks. 

189 


190  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Altliongli  she  never  said  so  out  load,  she  had 
indulged  in  the  hope  that  something  might 
happen  to  keep  Rodney  away  from  Moore- 
ville  as  long  as  the  war  lasted.  She  knew  that 
he  had  faced  the  Yankees  in  a  good  many 
hard  battles,  and,  being  a  veteran,  of  course  he 
would  crow  over  Tom,  who  was  nothing  but  a 
Home  Guard. 

"  Well,  it  is  Rodney  Gray,  and  nobody 
else,"  said  Captain  Randolph,  in  a  tone  of  in- 
tense disgust.  "  He  looks  as  though  he  had 
been  living  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  for  the  citi- 
zen's clothes  he  discarded  when  he  went  into 
the  army  are  much  too  small  for  him.  He  has 
brought  with  him  a  comrade  who  lives  in  Mis- 
souri and  who,  I  judge,  is  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  get  over  the  river  ;  and  he's  about  the  most 
impudent  chap  I  ever  talked  to.  He  knows 
more  about  gunboats  than  I  who  have  been  in 
battle  with  them." 

"Have  you  not  learned  that  those  who  are 
the  most  conreited  generally  know  the  least? 
But  you  are  not  obliged  to  associate  with 
them,  and  besides  you  can't;  for  you  are  an 
officer  and  they  were  nothing  but  j)rivates." 


HOUNDS   ON   THE  TRAIL.  191 

"  I  know  that,  and  I  did  not  at  all  like  the 
familiar  way  in  which  they  talked  to  me. 
They  gave  me  bad  news.  .  They  Avere  captured 
by  Federal  cavalry  while  they  were  coming 
home." 

"Tom!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Randolph,  who 
was  much  surprised  and  alarmed  to  hear  it, 
"  do  you  mean  to  say  that  our  enemies  are 
scouting  through  the  country  ?" 

"  That's  what  I  mean  ;  and  if  you  have  any 
valuables  you  don't  want  to  lose,  you  had 
better  be  taking  care  of  them." 

"That  is  what  I  think.  How  did  Rodney 
manage  to  escape  ?  " 

"He  didn't  escape.  The  Yankees  rend  his 
discharge  and  let  him  go  free.  And  that  chum 
of  his,  Dick  Graham,  says  they  were  gentle- 
men, and  if  he  ever  sees  one  of  them  in  a  scrnpe 
he  will  help  him  out  if  he  can.  And  they  are 
both  tired  of  the  war  and  don't  mean  to  go 
back  to  the  army.  The  way  they  talked  was 
shameful,  and  I  will  speak  to  Roach  about  it 
the  very  next  time  I  go  to  the  office." 

Tom  then  went  on  to  repeat  the  conversation 
that  had  taken  i)lace  between  himself  and  the 


192  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEE. 

returned  veterans,  and  by  the  time  he  got 
through  his  mother  was  as  deeply  perplexed 
and  as  badly  frightened  as  he  was.  Two 
things  were  x>lain  to  her  :  Rodney  and  Dick 
were  traitors  at  heart,  and  ought  to  be  arrested 
and  imprisoned  before  they  had  time  to  talk 
to  any  of  the  conscrij^ts  as  they  had  talked  to 
Tom,  and  the  other  was  that  her  son  could  not 
take  a  squad  of  men  to  the  camp  of  instruction 
and  run  the  risk  of  being  captured  by  the 
Federal  troopers. 

"  Now  that  I  have  had  time  to  think  of  it, 
T  don't  care  whether  they  are  shut  up  or  not," 
answered  Captain  Tom.  "  If  they  are  per- 
mitted to  run  loose  in  the  settlement  and  to 
talk  to  the  conscripts  as  they  did  to  me,  they 
may  frighten  them  into  deserting  to  Baton 
Rouge ;  and  in  that  case,  don't  you  see,  there 
wouldn't  be  any  men  for  anybody  to  guard  to 
the  camp  of  instruction.  But  if  a  squad  is 
sent  there  I  am  bound  to  go  in  command  of  the 
escort ;  I  don't  see  how  I  can  get  out  of  it,  for 
1  told  Rodney  that  I  was  going." 

"  What  of  that  ?  Why  can't  you  send  Lam- 
bert, or  let  Captain  Roach  go  in  your  place? " 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL.  193 

"  If  you  can  think  of  any  excuse  I  can  offer 
for  not  going  I  shall  be  deliglited  to  hear  it," 
replied  Tom.  "  But  if  I  back  out  after  what  I 
have  said  about  Ned  Griffin's  cowardice  and 
all  that,  Rodney  Gray  will  never  let  me  hear 
the  last  of  it.  I  haven't  said  much  to  you 
about  it,  but  all  the  returned  soldiers  laugh 
every  time  my  name  is  mentioned  in  their 
hearing,  and  make  sport  of  the  Home  Guards 
because  they  are  willing  to  acknowledge  me 
as  their  commander  ;  and  I  believe  that  is  one 
thing  that  makes  them  so  ready  to  rebel  when- 
ever I  issue  an  order  they  don't  like.  Of 
course  Rodney  will  be  the  worst  of  all,  for  he 
never  liked  me." 

"  Why,  my  dear  boy,  you  are  in  a  predica- 
ment, that's  a  fact,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Randolph, 
who  had  never  dreamed  that  the  situation  was 
as  bad  as  this.  She  knew  that  Tom  would  not 
see  a  minute's  peace  if  he  gave  the  common 
people  of  Mooreville,  especially  such  low 
fellows  as  the  returned  veterans  and  those 
who  composed  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
Home  Guards,  any  reason  for  believing  that 
he  was  lacking  in  courage.  "What  can 
13 


194  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

you  do  ?  Have  you  decided  uiDon  any- 
tliing?" 

"I  have  not.  That  is  something  you  will 
have  to  do  for  me.  As  far  as  I  can  see  there 
are  but  two  courses  of  action  open  to  me  :  I 
must  either  take  the  conscripts  to  camp 
and  take  my  chances  on  being  shot  or  cap- 
tured  " 

"0  Tom,  I'll  never  consent  to  that,"  ex- 
claimed his  mother,  almost  tearfully.  "You 
had  much  better  follow  young  Griffin's  ex- 
amp)le.  Your  father  and  I  can  arrange  all 
that  by  sending  Larkin  into  the  army  and 
putting  you  in  his  place." 

Larkin  was  Mr.  Randolph's  overseer ;  and 
he  had  not  been  conscripted  by  Captain 
Roach  because  his  employer  had  claimed 
exemption  for  him.  Mr.  Randolph  supposed, 
and  so  did  his  wife,  that  Tom  was  ]Drovided  for 
as  long  as  the  war  continued  ;  and  as  it  was 
necessary  that  they  should  have  an  overseer 
they  decided  that  Larkin  would  do  as  well  as 
anybody  else,  and  Tom's  father  had  entered 
into  a  verbal  contract  to  purchase  his  freedom 
by  providing  the  hundred  pounds   of   bacon 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL.  195 

and  beef  demanded  by  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment. They  would  not  have  done  such  a 
thing  if  they  had  had  the  least  suspicion  that 
Tom's  position  as  captain  of  the  Home  Guards 
was  likely  to  bring  him  into  contact  with  the 
Yankees. 

"That  is  the  only  alternative,"  said  Tom. 
"  I  must  face  death  or  confinement  in  a  North- 
ern dungeon,  or  I  must  send  my  resignation  to 
the  Governor  at  the  new  capital.  But  I  am 
afraid  Larkin  will  demand  a  larger  bounty 
than  father  will  be  willing  to  pay." 

"Your  father  will  not  give  him  a  penny 
with  my  consent,"  said  Mrs.  Randolph  very 
decidedly.  "  He  is  a  hireling,  and  his  wishes 
will  not  be  consulted.  He  will  simply  be 
discharged  ;  that  is  all  there  is  of  it." 

"Bat  he  is  obstinate  and  hard  to  deal  with, 
and  perhaps  he  will  refuse  to  go  before  his 
year  is  out,"  suggested  Captain  Tom. 

"In  times  like  these  civil  contracts  are  not 
worth  the  paper  they  are  written  on,"  said 
his  mother,  in  a  tone  which  seemed  to  implj'' 
that  she  had  already  determined  upon  some 
course  of  action.     "There  are  some  hundred 


196  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

hands  on  this  plantation,  and  if  your  father 
should  find  it  impossible  or  inconvenient  to 
pay,  within  twelve  months,  the  eighty  thou- 
sand pounds  of  meat  which  the  Confederate 
Government  will  demand  as  the  price  of  Lar- 
kin's  exemption,  then  what?  I  think  myself 
that  Larkin  will  take  to  the  woods  before  he 
will  go  into  the  army," 

"I  don't  care  where  he  goes  so  long  as  he 
gets  out  of  my  way,"  declared  Captain  Tom. 
"  I  don't  know  what  our  neighbors  will  think 
of  me  when  they  see  me  in  the  field  Avith 
a  gang  of  niggers,  but  I  can't  discover  any 
other  way  out  of  the  difficulty  ;  can  you  ? " 

"At  present  I  cannot;  but  I  would  much 
rather  know  that  you  were  safe  in  the  field  and 
within  sound  of  the  dinner-horn,  than  to  fear 
that  you  were  in  danger  of  being  shot  or  cap- 
tured. Perhaps  we  had  best  let  the  subject  rest 
where  it  is  until  I  have  had  time  to  ask  your 
father  what  he  thinks  about  it.  I  will  tell  you 
our  decision  to-morrow  ;  and  meanwhile  don't 
commit  yourself.     There  goes  the  bell." 

It  was  the  call  to  dinner  and  Captain  Tom 
answered  it,  although  he  did  not  have  much 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL.  197 

appetite  for  the  things  he  found  on  the  table. 
His  father  had  of  late  got  out  of  the  way  of 
asking  his  son  if  he  had  heard  any  news  in 
town,  but  when  the  latter  remarked  that  he 
had  met  and  talked  with  Rodney  Gray  that 
morning,  and  that  Rodney  and  his  companion 
had  been  captured  by  the  enemy  while  on 
the  way  home,  Mr.  Randolph  took  interest 
enough  in  the  matter  to  inquire  into  the  par- 
ticulars, and  to  ask  Tom  if  he  didn't  think  he 
would  run  some  risk  in  taking  conscripts  to 
camp. 

"Risk!"  repeated  Captain  Tom.  "You 
may  well  say  that.  Roach  thinks  I  will  have 
to  fight  my  way,  and  so  does  Rodney.  He 
said  in  so  many  words  that  I  would  be  sure 
to  lose  my  prisoners,  that  the  Home  Guards 
would  be  brushed  out  of  the  way  like 
cob-webs,  and  if  I  got  through  with  a  whole 
skin  he  would  call  me  a  good  one.  Risk ! 
I  should  think  so.  It's  positively  dan- 
gerous !  " 

"  Well,  if  you  don't  want  to  go,  there  is  one 
way  you  can  get  out  of  it,"  replied  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph, as  he  folded  his  napkin  and  pushed  his 


198  EODNEY,  THE   OVEESEER.  l 

clmir  back  from  the  table.  "  You  can  throw 
up  your  commission." 

"I  have  thought  of  resigning,''  said  Tom  ; 
and  he  had  half  a  mind  to  broach  the  subject 
of  Larkin's  discharge  tlien  and  there,  bnt 
finally  concluded  that  he  would  leave  it  to 
his  mother. 

"  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  see  you  a  civilian  once  more,  and  to  know 
that  I  shall  never  x^ut  eyes  on  that  sword  and 
uniform  again,"  continued  Mr.  Randolph. 
"The  Southern  people  are  all  fools,  and  a 
year  ago  I  was  one  of  the  most  senseless  of 
them." 

"  Does  that  mean  that  you  have  given  up 
the  hope  of  Southern  independence?"  in- 
quired Tom,  who  was  not  greatly  surprised, 
although  he  had  never  heard  his  father  talk 
in  this  way  before. 

"It  means  that  we  have  made  beggars  of 
ourselves  by  trying  to  break  uj)  the  govern- 
ment when  we  had  no  earthly  excuse  for  it. 
We  were  never  short  of  anything  before,  and 
now  I  am  put  to  my  stumps  to  find  paper  to 
write  on  and  salt  for  my  table.     There  will  be 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL.  199 

no  bacon  and  hams  for  us  next  winter  unless  I 
can  induce  some  of  my  friends  to  do  a  little 
trading  in  Baton  Rouge  for  me.  I  dare  not  go 
into  the  city  to  do  it  for  myself,  for  you  are 
captain  of  the  Home  Guards.  I  wish  in  my 
soul  that  I  had  liad  a  guardian  appointed  over 
me  about  the  time  I  was  making  such  an  idiot 
of  myself  on  account  of  that  company." 

Mr.  Randolx)h  rubbed  some  "  nigger  twist  " 
between  his  palms,  jammed  it  rather  spitefully 
into  an  earthen  pipe  with  a  cane  stem,  and 
went  out  on  the  gallery  to  enjoy  his  after- 
dinner  smoke.  He  was  a  rich  planter,  and  it 
was  not  so  very  long  ago  that  his  crop  of 
cotton  was  worth  a  fortune  to  him  every  year  ; 
but  he  could  not  smoke  cigars  now  unless  they 
were  given  to  him.  Some  of  his  neighbors 
who  had  not  taken  so  deep  an  interest  in  the 
Home  Guards,  Rodney  Gray's  father  for  one, 
had  passes  that  took  them  in  and  out  of  Baton 
Rouge  as  often  as  they  chose  to  make  use  of 
them  ;  and  these  men  had  salt  and  tea  and 
coffee,  stockings  and  shoes  and  cigars  in 
abundance,  and  "plenty  of  greenback  money, 
too,"  as  one  darkey  affirmed,  who  chanced  to 


200        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

catch  a  momentary  glimpse  of  tlie  inside  of 
Mr.  Gray's  pocket-book. 

Mr.  Randolph  made  his  exit  from  the  room 
through  one  of  the  low  windows  that  opened 
upon  the  veranda,  sat  down  long  enough  to 
take  a  dozen  or  more  pulls  at  his  pipe,  and 
then  came  back  to  say  : 

"  Tom,  you  want  to  be  kinder  careful  what 
you  tell  about  Rodney  Gray  and  his  folks,  for, 
if  we  work  matters  right,  I  am  sure  Gray  will 
lend  me  a  helping  hand  now  and  then  ;  and 
goodness  knows  I  need  it  bad  enough,  I 
suspicion  that  in  some  way  or  other  he  has 
got  on  the  blind  side  of  the  Yankees  in  Baton 
Rouge." 

"Then  he  ought  to  be  reported  to  our 
authorities,"  said  Mrs.  Randolph  spitefully. 

"That's  what  I  say!"  exclaimed  Captain 
Tom.  "If  he  is  giving  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  enemy  he  is  breaking  our  laws  ;  and  I 
say " 

"  Hold  your  horses,"  interrupted  his  father. 
"What  is  the  use  of  cutting  off  your  nose  to 
spite  5'our  face?  Instead  of  giving  aid  and 
comfort  to  the  Federals,  he  is  working  them 

9 


HOUNDS   ON  THE  TRAIL.  201 

SO  that  they  are  giving  much  aid  and  comfort 
to  him  and  a  few  others  who  are  in  the  ring 
with  him." 

"  And  is  it  your  desire  to  become  one  of  that 
'ring,'  as  you  call  it?"  demanded  his  wife, 
pitching  her  voice  in  a  little  higher  key  than 
usual.  "Would  you  collogue  with  the  ene- 
mies of  your  country  for  the  sake  of  making 
something  out  of  them  ?  Mr.  Randolph — 
George — I  am  surprised  to  hear  you  hint  at 
such  baseness  ;  and  in  the  presence  of  a  prom- 
inent State  officer,  too." 

"Hold  your  horses,"  said  Mr.  Randolph 
again.  "If  I  can  make  something  to  eat 
and  wear  by  trading  with  the  Yankees,  who 
seem  to  have  enough  and  to  spare,  it  is  to  my 
interest  and  yours  to  do  it,  is  it  not  ?  And 
through  it  all  I  can  still  be  a  good  Confed- 
erate, can't  I?  Look  here,"  he  continued, 
walking  up  to  the  table  and  sinking  his  voice 
almost  to  a  whisper.  ' '  I  have  200  bales 
of  cotton  concealed  in  the  swamp,  and  Gray 
has  more  than  twice  as  much.  And  every 
bale  of  that  cotton  is  worth  sixty  cents  a 
pound  in  New  York." 


202  P.ODI^EY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Mr.  Randolph  straightened  up  and  looked 
at  his  wife  and  son  as  much  as  to  say,  "  What 
do  you  think  of  that  ? "  He  expected  them  to 
be  surprised,  and  certainly  he  was  not  disap- 
pointed. For  a  minute  or  two  they  were  so 
amazed  that  they  could  not  speak. 

"  Six — did  I  understand  you  to  say  sixty 
cents  a  pound  1 "  Captain  Tom  managed  to  ask 
at  last. 

"  Where  did  you  hear  that  ridiculous 
story?"  chimed  in  Mrs.  Randolph.  "I  have 
read  the  papers  very  closely,  and  I  didn't  see 
anything  of  it." 

' '  Do  you  for  a  moment  imagine  that  our 
lying  papers " 

"  Mr.  Randolph — George  !  " 

"Hold  your  horses.  I  know  what  I  am 
talking  about.  It  is  a  fact  that  our  papers 
conceal  everything  that  goes  against  us,  or 
make  light  of  it,  and  of  course  they  wouldn't 
say  that  cotton  is  bringing  sixty  cents  in  the 
North  while  in  the  Confederacy  it  is  worth 
only  seven.  If  our  papers  should  publish  such 
reports  as  that,  don't  you  see  that  the  Confed- 
eracy wouldn't  get  any  more  cotton?    Every 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TKAIL.  203 

planter  wlio  owns  a  bale  would  make  haste  to 
run  it  into  the  swamp." 

"  If  I  had  any  cotton  I  would  rather  give  it 
to  our  government  for  three  cents  than  to  our 
enemies  for  twenty  times  as  much,"  declared 
Cax)tain  Tom,  who,  seeing  that  he  did  not  pos- 
sess a  xiound  of  the  commodity  in  question, 
could  afford  to  be  very  patriotic.  He  looked 
at  his  mother,  expecting  to  hear  her  say  that 
she  would  do  the  same  ;  but  she  gazed  down 
at  her  plate  and  said  nothing.  Sixty  cents  a 
pound  !  Reckoning  each  bale  at  450  pounds 
that  would  make  her  husband's  concealed 
cotton  worth  about  $54,000,  if  it  could  only 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Yankees 
without  being  confiscated.  But  there  was 
the  rub. 

"Tom,  you  always  were  about  half-witted," 
exclaimed  his  father,  who  was  so  angry  that 
he  spoke  without  thinking.  "  I  would  rather 
have  sixty  cents  in  greenback  money  than  four 
dollars  in  Confederate  scrij)  any  day  ;  and  I 
don't  see  the  use  of  your  talking  in  that  sense- 
less way." 

"  But  your  cotton  is  in  the  swamp,  and  how 


204  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

are  you  going  to  get  it  to  New  York  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Randolph. 

"And  how  do  you  know  that  you  and  the 
darkeys  who  helped  you  j)ut  it  there  are  the 
only  ones  who  know  where  it  is?"  chimed  in 
Tom.  "  The  Lincoln  hirelings  have  been  steal- 
ing cotton  all  the  way  from  Cairo  to  Vicks- 
burg,  and  what  assurance  have  you  that  some 
enemy  of  ours  will  not  guide  a  gang  of  blue- 
coats  from  Baton  Rouge  to  the  place  where  it 
is  hidden?" 

"I  have  no  assurance  whatever,  and  that  is 
one  thing  that  robs  me  of  sleep  at  night,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Randolph  ;  and  the  nervous  way  in 
which  he  puffed  at  his  pipe  and  strode  about 
the  room  showed  that  the  thought  made  him 
uneasy  every  time  it  came  into  his  mind.  "Of 
course  I  stand  a  chance  of  losing  it ;  but  if  I 
can  keep  it  a  few  months  longer  I  know  it  Avill 
be  worth  a  big  sum  of  money  to  us — and  good 
money,  too.  One  of  our  neighbors,  who  shall 
be  nameless,  showed  me  a  couple  of  Northern 
papers  he  brought  from  Baton  Rouge  last 
night,  and  both  of  them  contained  a  notice  of 
that  sale  of  cotton  in  New  York.     There  were 


HOUNDS   ON   THE  TRAIL.  205 

seventy  bales  of  it,  and  it  was  confiscated  at 
Port  Royal.  Some  of  the  ranking  officers  in 
the  city  also  told  liitn  that  there  was  some 
talk  of  opening  a  trade  in  cotton  at  all  points 
occupied  by  Federal  troops,  and  that  influen- 
tial parties  were  applying  by  the  huAdred  for 
permits.  He  could  have  told  me  more  if  he 
had  felt  like  it,  but  Tom,  your  miserable 
Home  Guards,  whom  I  wish  I  had  never  heard 
of,  made  him  shut  his  mouth.  I  am  afraid  I 
ruined  myself  utterly  by  helping  you  organize 
that  company." 

Too  nervous  and  excited  to  say  more,  Mr. 
Randolph  stepped  through  the  window  to  the 
porch,  and  Tom  left  the  table  and  went  slowly^ 
upstairs.  He  could  not  have  told  what- 
prompted  him  to  do  it,  but  wlien  he  reached 
his  room  he  took  off  his  fine  uniform  and 
arrayed  himself  in  a  suit  of  citizen's  clothes. 
He  stood  his  elegant  sword  up  in  the  corner  of 
his  closet,  and  when  it  slipped  dowii  so  that 
he  could  not  close  the  door,  he  kicked  it  out 
of  the  way  as  he  would  have  done  with  any 
other  worthless  piece  of  furniture.  For  some 
reason  he  seemed  to  have  conceived  a  sudden 


20G  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  violent  dislike  to  everything  that  re- 
minded him  of  the  service  in  which,  one 
short  year  ago,  his  whole  soul  been  wrapped 
up  ;  and  when  he  mounted  his  horse,  which 
a  darkey  had  brought  to  the  door,  and  the 
animal  began  to  prance  and  go  sideways,  as 
he  had  been  taught  to  do.  Captain  Tom  was  so 
angry  that  he  lashed  him  unmercifully  with 
his  whip,  and  would  have  kept  him  in  a  dead 
run  all  the  way  to  the  enrolling  office,  had  it 
not  been  for  an  unexpected  and  somewhat 
startling  interruption. 

Although  there  were  many  extensive  and 
well-cultivated  plantations  around  Mooreville, 
there  were  some  unbroken  patches  of  timber 
which  stretched  away  into  the  Pearl  River 
country  and  beyond.  This  timberland  was 
mostly  low  and  intersected  by  innumerable 
little  streams,  which,  when  the  Pearl  was 
"booming"  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
overflowed  their  banks  and  turned  all  the  pro- 
ductive bottom  into  an  immense  swamp.  It 
was  here  that  Tom  Randolph's  hog-stealing 
lieutenant  plied  his  vocation,  though  he  might 
have  had  venison  instead  of  pork,  if  he  had  not 


HOUNDS    ON   THE   TRAIL.  207 

been  too  lazy  to  hunt  for  it ;  for  the  bottom 
was  a  famous  pkice  for  game  of  all  kinds. 
There  were  runaway  negroes  there  too,  by  the 
score,  and  their  numbers  had  increased  won- 
derfully since  the  war  broke  out. 

It  was  while  Tom  was  galloping  furiously 
past  one  of  these  patches  of  timber,  which  was 
separated  from  the  road  by  a  narrow  field  of 
corn,  that  his  attention  was  attracted  by  the 
loud  baying  of  a  pack  of  hounds  ;  but  his 
mind  was  so  fully  occupied  with  the  punish- 
ment he  was  inflicting  upon  his  unoffending 
horse  that  he  did  not  give  much  heed  to  it, 
until  he  caught  sight  of  a  couple  of  men  riding 
swiftly  through  the  corn  a  little  in  advance  of 
him.  When  they  reached  the  fence  that  ran 
between  the  field  and  tlie  road  one  of  them 
threw  off  the  top  rails  so  that  they  could  jump 
their  horses  over  it,  while  the  other  raised  his 
hand  as  a  signal  for  Tom  to  stop.  Then  he 
saw  that  the  men  were  strangers  to  him,  that 
they  wore  gray  uniforms,  were  armed  with 
carbines  and  sabres  instead  of  squirrel  rifles 
and  shot  guns,  and  wore  plumes  in  their  slouch 
hats  instead  of  rooster  feathers.     They  were 


208  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

veterans  beyond  a  doubt ;  but  where  did  tliey 
come  from,  and  what  were  they  doing  in  that 
country,  which  was  supposed  to  be  guarded  by 
an  efficient  company  of  Home  Guards  ?  Their 
presence  angered  Captain  Tom,  and  he  wished 
he  had  the  authority  to  order  them  back  where 
they  belonged  without  asking  any  questions  ; 
but  they  greeted  him  very  civilly. 

"  Grood-afternoon,"  said  the  foremost,  as  he 
leaped  his  horse  over  the  ditch  and  came  into 
the  road  where  Tom  was  waiting  for  him  ; 
then  he  made  a  military  salute  which  was 
promjTtly  and  gracefully  returned.  "  Ah  !  I 
thought  you  were  one  of  us  from  the  start," 
continued  the  veteran.     "  What  regiment  ?  " 

"I  do  not  belong  to  any  regiment,"  ad- 
mitted Tom.  "  I  am  commander  of  a  partisan 
company  and  hold  a  commission  from  the 
Governor." 

"  Seen  any  service  ?  "  was  the  soldier's  next 
question. 

"More  than  I  want  to  see  again,"  replied 
Tom,  wdio  had  not  yet  been  cured  of  his  pro- 
pensity to  boast  as  often  as  the  chance  was 
presented.     "  The    enemy's    gunboats    have 


HOUNDS   ON  THE  TRAIL.  209 

kept  me  pretty  busy  since  they  came  up  from 
New  Orleans," 

"Well,  if  you've  got  courage  enough  to 
fight  gunboats,  you've  got  more  than  I  have," 
said  the  veteran  honestly.  "How  high  up 
are  you  ? " 

"  I  am  a  captain." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sah,  I  have  been  a 
little  too  fast,  I  am  only  a  second  lieutenant, 
and  my  comrade  is  a  first  duty  sergeant,"  and 
then  the  lieutenant  and  his  sergeant  both 
raised  their  caps.  They  had  evidently  served 
under  some  officer  who  exacted  all  the  honors 
due  him. 

Of  course  they  took  the  right  course  to 
gain  Tom's  good  will  and  bring  them  an  invi- 
tation to  supper,  but  they  did  not  do  it  inten- 
tionally. Having  served  at  the  front  ever 
since  they  enlisted,  and  until  they  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  invalid  corps  on  account  of 
wounds  received  in  battle  they  had  never  seen 
any  Home  Guards,  and  did  not  know  the  esti- 
mation in  which  that  useless  organization  was 
held  by  the  people  who  knew  the  most  about 
them.     They    had    heard  of  the  exploits   of 

14 


210  IlODISrEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

John  S.  Mosby,  who  commanded  a  body  of 
men  that  were  farmers  during  the  daytime 
and  robbers  and  cut-tliroats  at  night,  and  wlio 
had  kept  certain  portions  of  Virginia  in  a  tur- 
moil even  before  he  was  thouglit  to  be  worthy 
of  a  commission  in  the  Confederate  army,  and 
they  supposed  that  every  company  of  parti- 
sans was  just  like  his.  Consequently  they 
were  ready  to  treat  Tom  Randolph  with  the 
greatest  respect. 

The  latter  drew  himself  up  very  stiffly,  as- 
sumed a  soldier's  position  in  the  saddle,  copy- 
ing Rodney  Gray  as  nearly  as  he  could,  and 
said  with  the  dignity  befitting  his  rank  : 

"I  assure  you  that  no  apologies  are  neces- 
sary, I  am  always  glad  to  shake  a  loyal  Con- 
federate by  the  hand."  And  he  proved  it  by 
extending  to  each  of  the  veterans  a  palm  that 
was  as  limp  as  a  piece  of  wet  rope.  "Now, 
may  I  ask  where  you  belong,  and  what  busi- 
ness brought  you  to  this  part  of  the  country  T' 

"  Certainly,  sah.  We  used  to  belong  to 
Jackson's  brigade  and  division,  but  were  in- 
valided on  account  of  injuries  received  in  ac- 
tion, and  are  now  serving  as  guards  at  a  con- 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL,  211 

script  camp,  dog-gone  the  luck.  We  are  on 
the  trail  of  four  escaped  Yankees  who  are 
making  tracks  for  Baton  Rouge.  Didn't  j^ou 
hear  our  dogs  giving  tongue  just  now  ?  " 

"I  noticed  it,  but  supposed  the  liounds 
were  running  something  on  their  own  hook. 
I  noticed,  too,  that  tliey  j^elped  as  though 
they  were  baffled." 

"And  so  they  are.  We  have  followed  the 
trail  for  forty  miles  through  swamp  and  briers 
and  cane,  and  now  we  have  lost  it  completely. 
We  ought  to  have  captured  and  hung  the 
villains  long  ago,  but  everywhere  along  their 
line  of  flight  they  have  been  assisted  by  the 
negroes.     We  found  abundant  proof  of  it." 

"Well,  that  bangs  rae  !  "  exclaimed  Tom, 
who,  like  many  others  of  his  class,  labored 
under  the  delusion  that  the  slaves  did  not 
know  who  their  friends  were.  "Why  did  you 
not  shoot  the  negroes  ?  " 

"For  the  very  good  reason,  sah,  that  we 
could  not  place  the  blame  upon  any  particular 
ones.  We  found  where  the  Yanks  had  been 
fed,  and  once  came  so  close  upon  them  that 
we  captured  some   quilts  which   the  darkeys 


212  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

had  loaned  them  for  beds ;  but  among  the 
hundred  and  fifty  negroes  on  that  plantation 
we  could  not  find  the  one  who  owned  the 
quilts.  Do  you  know  of  any  Union  men  or 
blacks  around  here  who  would  be  1  lively  to 
give  them  food  and  shelter,  or  aid  them  in 
reaching  Baton  Rouge?" 

If  that  question  had  been  asked  him  the 
day  before  Captain  Randolph  could  havemen- 
.  tioned  the  names  of  a  dozen  white  men  who 
were  mean  and  disloyal  enough  to  give  food 
and  shelter  to  anybody  who  wore  a  blue  uni- 
form, but  now  he  could  not  think  of  a  single 
one.  Among  others  he  would  have  given  the 
nanjies  of  some  returned  soldiers  who  had 
spread  dissatisfaction  in  the  ranks  of  his  com- 
pany by  deriding  Tom's  ability  as  a  com- 
mander and  laughing  at  the  story  of  his 
battles  with  the  iron-clads,  and  he  would  have 
asked  the  lieutenant  what  he  thought  of 
fellows  like  Rodney  Gray  and  Dick  Graham 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  they 
were  sick  of  the  armj^,  and  did  not  intend 
to  go  back  if  they  could  help  it.  He  would 
have  told,  too,  of  the  trading  that  was  con- 


HOUNDS   ON   THE   TRAIL.  213 

tiniially  going  on  between  the  Yankee  invaders 
and  so-called  Confederates  who  lived  in  Baton 
Rouge  and  Mooreville  ;  but  somehow  he  did 
not  speak  of  any  of  these  things.  The  knowl- 
edge that  Mooreville  might  at  any  moment  be 
occupied  by  Federal  cavalry  frightened  him  ; 
and  the  plain  words  his  father  spoke  at  the 
dinner  table  opened  his  eyes  to  the  fact  that 
silenoe  was  sometimes  good  policy.  So  he 
made  answer  : 

"There  are  several  people  about  here  who 
are  suspected  of  being  Union,  but  I  can't  say 
whether  they  are  or  not.  I  drove  some  out 
of  the  settlement  months  ago,  and  they  have 
never  returned." 

"That  was  perfectly  right,  sah,"  said  the 
lieutenant,  "but  I  should  think  j^ou  would  be 
afraid  to  stay  here.  What  will  you  do  when 
the  Yanks  come  swarming  into  town,  and  some 
mean  sneak  tells  them  that  you  have  been  per- 
secuting Union  men?  You  will  have  to  take 
to  the  brush." 

"  But  do  you  think  the  enemy  is  in  sufficient 
force  to  ride  over  us  like  that?  "  inquired  Tom 
anxiously.     He  had  often  asked  himself  this 


214  RODNEY,  THE    OVERSEER. 

very  question,  and  tried  to  find  comfort  in  the 
hope  that  the  Yankees  would  never  find  their 
way  to  Moore ville, 

"  Oh,  it  doesn't  require  much  force  to  take 
full  possession  of  a  little  town  like  this,"  re- 
l^lied  the  veteran.  "I  could  do  it  with  a 
dozen  men.  We  have  seen  200  of  their 
cavalry   since   Ave  have   been   on  this  hunt." 

"  You  have  seen  them  !"  ejaculated  Tom. 

"  Yes.  We  ran  into  some  of  them  and  had 
to  skirmish  our  w{jy  out.  We  have  seen  a 
squad  on  every  road  except  this,  and  how 
those  four  escaped  pi'isoners  we  are  after 
missed  seeing  them  bents  me." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  there  are 
200  Yankees  between  here  and  Camp  Pinck- 
ney?"  exclaimed  Tom,  who  did  not  like  to 
hear  Rodney's  story  and  Dick's  confirmed 
in  this  positive  way.  "I  should  think  you 
would  have  turned  back  when  you  found  your 
way  blocked." 

"  Since  you  are  an  old  soldier,  sah,  and  have 
snuffed  Yankee  powder,  I  know  that  you  are 
joking.  Our  way  wasn't  blocked,  and  we  had 
no  orders  to  turn  back.     We  were  commanded 


HOUNDS    ON   THE   TRAIL.  215 

to  capture  those  four  men  and  bring  them  to 
Camp  Pinckney  without  the  loss  of  an  hour  ; 
and  so  we  kept  right  on  as  though  there 
hadn't  been  a  Yank  wdthin  1000  miles  of  us." 
Captain  Randolph  gazed  admiringly  at  the 
veteran,  who  did  not  talk  or  act  as  though  he 
had  done  more  than  any  other  soldier  would 
have  done  under  the  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

UNCLE   SAM'S   lost   BOYS. 

'  T"  WISH  I  had  some  of  yonr  courage,"  said 
-L  Tom  at  length.  "  I  may  need  it,  for  I  am 
liable  any  day  to  be  ordered  to  Camp  Pinck- 
ney  Avith  a  squad  of  conscripts." 

"W-h-e-w!"  whistled  the  lieutenant.  He 
looked  at  the  sergeant,  the  sergeant  looked 
at  him,  and  then  they  both  looked  at  Captain 
Tom  with  an  expression  on  -their  faces  that 
the  latter  could  not  understand.  "AVell,  if 
this  is  the  sort  of  work  you  i)artisans  have 
to  do,  I  am  glad  I  am  not  a  partisan,"  con- 
tinued the  lieutenant.  "  I'd  rather  go  through 
Bull  Run  and  take  my  chances,  than  attempt 
to  travel  the  sixty  miles  between  here  and 
camp  with  a  squad  of  conscripts.  You  will 
have  to  take  to  the  woods,  of  course,  and  that 
will  be  the  time  your  conscripts  will  give  you 
the  slip.  If  you  start  with  a  liundred  and  get 
through  with  ten  you  Avill  be  doing  well." 

216 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS,  217 

"There  are  people  liere  who  think  I'll  not 
get  through  at  all,"  said  Tom.  "They  say 
that  I  and  ray  men  will  be  captured  or 
killed." 

"0/"  course,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  who 
had  never  once  thought  of  that  contingency. 
"It's  to  be  expected  that  you  will  take  your 
chances  on  that.  It  is  what  we  all  have  to  do 
when  we  meet  the  enemy." 

"Have  you  found  them  a  tolerably  brave 
lot?"  inquired  Captain  Tom,  who  Avanted 
much  to  meet  some  veteran  who  would  assure 
liim  that  the  Yankees  were  all  cowards  and 
did  not  know  how  to  fight. 

"As  brave  as  they  make  'em,"  said  the 
lieutenant  earnestly,  "and  dead  shots  into  the 
bargain.  We  have  bitten  off  a  good  deal  more 
than  we  can  chew  in  ten  years  ;  now  j^ou  re- 
member what  I  tell  you.  Of  course,  captain, 
I  wouldn't  say  that  in  the  presence  of  a 
civilian  ;  but  one  old  soldier  knows  how  to 
take  another.  Now,  don't  you  think,  sah, 
that  you  partisans  could  lend  us  a  hand  in 
capturing  these  Yankees." 

"  Why,  certainly  ;  and  I  will  warn  my  com- 


218  EODNEY,   THE    OVEKSEER. 

pany  out  at  once,"  replied  Tom  readily. 
"  Where  will  I  liiid  you  at  the  end  of  a  couple 
of  hours  ?  I  want  you  and  the  sergeant  to 
take  supper  and  lodgings  at  my  mother's 
house  to-niglit." 

"Mucli  obliged  to  you,  sah,  but  we  couldn't 
think  of  it,"  said  the  lieutenant.  "Colonel 
Parker — he's  the  regular  who  commands  the 
camp — would  take  us  to  task  for  wasting 
time  if  he  should  hear  of  it,  and  besides, 
we  don't  Avant  to  run  the  risk  of  being 
gobbled." 

"Gobbled?"  repeated  Captain  Tom;  for 
that  was  a  word  that  had  not  yet  reached  his 
part  of  the  Confederacy. 

"Captured,  you  know." 

"Who's  going  to  capture  you  at  our 
house?"  exclaimed  Tom,  who  coukl  feel  him- 
self turning  white. 

"The  Yankee  scouts  might,  if  they  shoukl 
liax)pen  to  ride  into  town  and  any  enemy  of 
yours  coukl  tell  them  where  to  find  us ;  and 
these  escaped  prisoners  might  do  it." 

Captain  Randolph  was  utterly  confounded. 
His  idea  of  an  escaped  prisoner  was  a  man 


UNCLE   SAm's   lost   BOYS,  219 

rnnning  frantically  for  his  life  and  too  badly 
frightened  to  look  behind  him  ;  but  the  lien- 
tenant's  words  made  it  plain  to  him  that  the 
four  who  were  foot-loose  somewhere  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mooreville  were  not  that  sort.  He 
became  really  alarmed  when  the  soldier  went 
on  to  explain  the  situation. 

"  You  see  they  were  run  down  and  gobbled 
up  three  days  ago  by  a  large  squad  of  our  cav- 
alry, who  started  them  for  camp  under  guard 
of  four  good  men,  one  for  each  prisoner,"  said 
he.  "But  before  they  had  been  away  from 
us  half  an  hour,  what  do  those  Yankees  do 
but  rise  up  and  kill  their  guards,  take  their 
weapons  and  ammunition,  hitch  their  horses 
in  the  woods  so  that  they  could  not  go  on 
and  alarm  the  camp,  and  dig  out  through  the 
swamp  for  the  Mississippi  Kiver." 

"And  those  armed  and  desperate  prisoners 
are  supposed  to  be  somewhere  in  the  settle- 
ment at  this  moment?"  said  Tom  Avith  a 
shudder. 

"  That  is  what  we  think,  for  the  dogs  tracked 
them  within  a  mile  of  this  corn-field." 

"  I  hope  you  will  hang  them  the  minute  you 


220  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

get  yoiir  hands  on  tliem,"  said  Tom,  in  a 
trembling  voice. 

"There  are  fourteen  men  in  my  squad  and 
that  is  what  tliey  allow  to  do,"  replied  the 
lieutenant;  "but  then  they  won't,  for  that 
would  bring  them  into  trouble  with  Colonel 
Parker.  If  a  captured  man  sees  a  chance  to 
escape  he  is  at  liberty  to  improve  it,  and  to 
hurt  anything  or  anybody  that  gets  in  his 
way ;  and  in  doing  it  he  runs  the  risk  of  get- 
ting hurt  himself." 

"The  first  we  heard  of  it,"  said  the  ser- 
geant, speaking  for  the  first  time,  "was  when 
six  of  our  men  came  into  cam^)  on  foot,  and 
reported  that  thej^  liad  been  disarmed  and  dis- 
mounted by  four  Yankees  who  had  j)aroled 
and  turned  them  loose." 

"  That  was  about  as  impudent  a  thing  as  I 
ever  heard  of,  and  it  shows  what  a  daring  lot 
those  escaped  Yanks  are,"  said  the  lieutenant ; 
and  instead  of  getting  angry  when  he  thought 
of  it,  he  surprised  Tom  by  laughing  heartilj^, 
as  though  he  looked  upon  it  as  the  best  kind 
of  a  joke.  "  A  private  has  no  right  to  parole 
anybody,  but  all  the  same  those  Yanks  wrote 


UNCLE   SAM'S   lost   BOYS.  221 

out  the  papers  in  due  form,  and  told  our  boys 
that  they  could  either  sign  them  or  stay  there 
in  the  swamp  till  a  party  came  out  from  camp 
to  bury  them.  And  our  boys  thought  they 
had  better  sign." 

"I  didn't  suppose  that  escaped  prisoners 
ever  acted  that  way,"  said  Captain  Tom,  after 
a  few  minutes  of  surprised  silence. 

"Won't  they  have  something  to  talk  about 
when  they  get  among  their  friends?"  said 
the  lieutenant,  with  another  laugh.  "They 
are  brave  soldiers,  and  I'll  bet  you  they  are 
good  fellows  ;  and  when  the  war  is  over,  I 
don't  care  which  side  whips,  I  would  like  to 
meet  them  and  talk  over  the  events  of  the 
last  few  days.  We'd  have  a  good  laugh  over 
them." 

"I  don't  think  it  is  any  laughing  matter  to 
kill  four  men  as  those  Yanks  killed  their 
guards,"  replied  Tom,  who  could  not  under- 
stand how  men  fighting  under  opposing  Hags 
could  have  the  least  particle  of  respect  or 
kindly  feeling  for  one  another. 

"Oh,  that's  war,  you  know,"  said  the  lieu- 
tenant lightly.     "But  you  will  see  now  why 


222  KODNEY,  THE    OVERSEER. 

the  sergeant  and  I  must  decline  your  kind 
invitation  to  take  suj^i^er  and  sleep  at  yonr 
house.  AVe  don't  want  to  put  ourselves  in  a 
position  to  be  surrounded  and  captured,  for 
we  are  pretty  close  to  Baton  Rouge,  and 
those  Yanks  nnght  decide  to  take  us  along  in- 
stead of  parolling  us.  If  we  camp  in  the 
woods  with  our  dogs  around  us  we'll  know 
that  we  are  safe.  Now,  we  shall  have  to  bid 
you  good-by,  captain.  You  will  get  your 
company  together  and  do  what  you  can  to 
help  us  ?" 

"  Look  out  that  they  don't  get  the  first  shot 
at  you,  sail,"  suggested  the  sergeant. 

"And  if  you  are  lucky  enough  to  catch 
them  may  I  depend  on  you  to  send  them  to 
camp  under  guard?"  added  the  lieutenant. 
"It  might  be  to  your  interest  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  our  colonel." 

Captain  Randolph  shook  hands  Avitli  the 
two  veterans  and  promised  to  do  all  a  loyal 
soldier  could  do  to  head  the  fugitives  off  from 
Baton  Rouge  and  send  them  back  to  Camp 
Pinckney  ;  but  there  was  not  so  much  heart  in 
his  promise  as  there  was  in  the  one  he  made 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  223 

before  he  learned  tliat  the  Yankees  were 
armed  and  daring.  In  order  to  keep  up  ap- 
pearances, however,  he  put  his  horse  into  a 
lope  as  soon  as  the  hand-shaking  was  over, 
and  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  enrolling 
office.  He  found  a  few  Home  Guards  loafing 
there,  but  not  half  as  many  as  he  would  have 
found  two  days  before.  These  valiant  men 
had  heard  that  they  might  be  ordered  off  with 
a  squad  of  conscripts  any  time,  and  they  did 
not  care  to  go  while  the  Union  cavalry  were 
riding  about  through  the  country.  So  the 
most  of  them  stayed  at  home,  holding  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  take  to  their  heels  if 
they  saw  a  horseman  approacliing,  and  had 
any  reason  to  believe  that  he  had  been  sent 
by  Captain  Roach  to  warn  them  to  report  for 
duty.  The  captain  was  at  his  desk,  and  for 
some  reason  or  other  seemed  to  be  in  the  best 
of  spirits. 

"  You  ought  to  have  dropped  in  about  half 
an  hour  ago,"  said  he,  as  Tom  walked  into 
the  office  after  hitching  his  horse  at  the 
rack  in  front  of  the  door.  "I  have  had 
a  very   pleasant   visit   from  one   of  your  old 


224         RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

friends,  who  has  just  returned  from  Bragg' s 
army." 

Captain  Randolph  was  so  surprised  that  he 
forgot  all  about  the  daring  Yankees  avIio  were 
running  wild  in  the  woods  in  close  proximity 
to  Mooreville.  He  left  home  for  the  express 
purpose  of  warning  the  enrolling  officer  against 
Rodney  Gray  and  his  chum  Dick  Graham, 
but  something  in  the  captain's  manner  told 
him  that  his  efforts  in  that  direction  AYould 
not  meet  with  much  success ;  for  the  returned 
soldiers  had  had  the  first  chance  at  the  cap- 
tain, and  they  were  both  smooth-tongued,  win- 
ning fellows. 

"  If  you  are  speaking  of  Rodney  Gray " 

began  Tom,  in  angry  tones. 

"So  you  have  seen  him,  have  you!"  ex- 
claimed the  enrolling  oflBcer,  leaning  back  in 
his  chair  and  breaking  out  into  a  peal  of 
laughter.     "  Well,  he's  a  good  one,  isn't  he  ?" 

"If  you  are  speaking  of  him,"  sputtered 
Tom,  "you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  he  is  no 
friend  of  mine.  I  have  told  you  so  more  times 
than  I  can  remember," 

"I  know  you  have,   and  I  confess  that  I 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  225 

treated  him  and  liis  chum  rather  coldly  when 
they  came  into  the  office  and  said  they  wanted 
to  set  themselves  square  with  me  by  showing 
that  they  were  honorably  discharged  Confed- 
erate soldiers,"  answered  the  captain.  "But 
they  did  not  seem  to  care  a  snap  for  me  or  for 
my  opinion  of  them." 

"That's  just  like  Rodney's  impudence," 
exclaimed  Tom. 

"Well,  you  see  he  has  a  sort  of  good- 
natured  contempt  for  me  because  I  am  not  a 
veteran.  He  knows  more  in  five  minutes  than 
I  do  in  a  month,  and  he  is  not  ignorant  of  the 
fact.  He  and  his  chum  sat  down  without 
waiting  to  be  asked,  tallied  as  though  they 
had  known  me  always,  and  I  laughed  till  I 
cried  over  the  stories  they  told  of  army  life. 
I  hope  to  hear  more  of  those  stories  when  I  go 
up  to  Gray's  to  dinner  on  Thursday." 

If  the  enrolling  officer  had  aimed  a  blow  at 
"him  with  the  ebony  ruler  that  lay  on  his  desk 
Tom  Randolph  Avoiild  not  have  been  more 
dumfounded.  He  leaned  heavily  upon  the 
back  of  a  chair  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then 
dropped  almost  heli^lessly  into  it. 

15 


226  KODNEy,  THE  overseer. 

"To  Gray's — to  dinner  on  Thursday!"  he 
repeated  faintly.  "You  can't — you  mustn't 
go  there." 

"  What's  the  reason  I  mustn't?  "  demanded 
Captain  Roach,  surprised  in  his  turn.  "  Good 
dinners  are  not  so  plenty  these  times  that  I 
can  afford  to  throw  them  over  my  shoulder." 

"It  isn't  that,"  replied  Tom.  "It's  the 
sentiments  of  the  people  avIio  invited  you  that 
I  object  to.  When  you  go  into  old  man 
Gray's  house  you  will  go  plump  into  a  nest 
of  traitors." 

"  No,  I  reckon  not.  A  man  wlio  volunteers 
and  does  a  soldier's  duty  for  fifteen  long 
months,  and  who  shows  me  an  honorable  dis- 
charge, can't  well  be  called  a  traitor." 

"He  stayed  in  the  army  after  he  got  there 
because  he  had  to,  and  did  a  soldier's  duty  for 
the  very  good  reason  that  lie  couldn't  help 
himself,"  said  Captain  Tom  spitefully.  "  But 
see  how  he  talks  since  lie  came  back !  He 
says  he  will  not  go  into  the  army  again, 
and  declares  that  the  Yanks  who  captured 
him  while  he  was  on  the  way  liome  were 
gentlemen." 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  227 

"  Well,  what  would  you  think  if  you  had 
been  in  his  place  ?  What  was  there  to  hinder 
those  Yanks  from  taking  him  and  Graham  to 
Baton  Rouge  and  turning  them  over  to  the 
provost  marshal  ?  They  were  in  uniform  when 
they  were  captured." 

"  I  see  you  are  on  the  side  of  those  traitors," 
said  Tom,  rising  to  his  feet  and  pounding 
lightly  upon  the  captain's  desk  with  his 
clenched  hand,  "and  I  have  this  much  to  say 
to  you  :  If  you  go  to  Gray's  you  Ay  11  no  longer 
be  welcome  at  our  house." 

"I  shall  be  sorry  for  that,  of  course,  but  I 
don't  suppose  I  can  help  it.  Gray  and  his 
chum  know  all  about  soldiering,  and  as  I  may 
have  to  go  into  the  army  myself  some  day,  I 
want  to  learn  all  I  can  from  them.  I  think 
you  would  be  wise  to  do  the  same." 

"  And  while  you  have  been  having  a  good 
time  with  my  enemies,  I  have  been  working 
for  the  cause  which  you  made  oath  to  support 
but  seem  to  have  deserted,"  continued  Tom 
impressively.  "I  have  been  making  arrange- 
ments to  capture  some  of  the  very  men  whom 
Rodney  Gray  and  Dick  Graliam  promised  to 


228  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

assist  if  tliey  found  them  in  trouble.  I  want 
all  you  fellows,"  here  he  turned  about  and 
addressed  himself  to  the  Home  Guards  Avho 
had  come  into  the  office  to  hear  what  jiassed 
between  their  captain  and  the  enrolling  officer, 
"  to  mount  your  horses  at  once  and  go  in  pur- 
suit of  four  escaped  prisoners  who  are  hiding 
in  the  woods  somewhere  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town.  As  you  go,  warn  every  other  mem- 
ber of  the  company  you  see  to  turn  out  and 
join  in  the  cli^jse." 

"Why,  captain,  what  do  you  mean?"  cried 
the  enrolling  officer,  becoming  excited  at  once. 

Without  paying  the  least  attention  to  him 
or  his  question,  Captain  Tom  proceeded  to  give 
his  men  a  short  and  very  incomplete  account 
of  the  interview  he  had  held  with  the  two 
veterans  while  he  "was  on  his  way  to  town. 
We  say  the  account  was  incomplete  because 
Tom  did  not  tell  his  men  that  the  fugitives 
had  armed  themselves  when  they  escaped 
from  their  guards,  and  had  been  carrying 
things  with  a  high  hand  ever  since.  He  was 
afraid  he  could  not  raise  much  of  a  squad  to 
aid  in  the  i^ursuit  if  he  told  that ;   so  all  he 


UNCLE   SAM'S   lost   BOYS.  229 

said  was  that  tlie  four  Yankees  were  striking 
for  Baton  Rouge,  tliat  fourteen  Confederate 
veterans  had  been  following  them  with  hounds 
for  three  days  past,  and  that  if  they  (the 
Home  Guards)  would  turn  out  in  a  body  and 
capture  the  prisoners  from  under  the  noses  of 
the  Confederates,  it  might  be  a  feather  in  their 
liats.  The  Home  Guards  thought  so  too  ;  and 
hardly  waiting  for  Tom  to  get  through  with 
what  he  had  to  tell  them,  they  made  a  rush 
through  the  door  toward  the  rack  at  Avhicli 
their  horses  were  hitched. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  prompt  to  obey 
orders,"  shouted  Captain  Tom,  following  them 
to  the  sidewalk  and  waving  his  hand  to  them 
as  they  rode  off  one  after  the  other.  "We'll 
show  the  authorities  that  there  are  some  loyal 
people  around  here  yet.  Til  be  with  you  as 
soon  as  I  can  ride  home  and  get  my  uniform 
and  Aveapons,  but  you  needn't  wait.  Divide 
yourselves  into  squads  of  six  or  eight,  and 
search  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  woods  you 
can  get  into  between  this  time  and  dark.  And 
don't  forget  corncribs  and  nigger  cabins,  nor 
the  cellars  and  lofts  of  Union  men." 


230  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"I  think  it  strange  that  you  did  not  bring 
those  Confederate  officers  straight  to  my 
office,"  said  the  conscript  captain,  when  the 
last  Home  Guard  had  ridden  away  out  of 
sight. 

"  Since  you  have  deserted  loyal  people  for 
the  society  of  those  who  say  that  they  will  not 
do  anything  more  for  the  cause  they  pretend 
to  believe  in,  I  am  sorry  myself  that  I  did  not 
bring  them  here,"  answered  Tom.  "But  I 
did  not  once  think  of  it.  I  am  glad  they  did 
not  accept  my  invitation  to  supper,  for  I 
should  have  felt  obliged  to  ask  you  to  join 
them.  Where  are  you  going?"  he  added, 
when  Captain  Roach  began  bundling  his 
l)apers  into  his  desk  and  locking  the  drawers. 

"I  am  going  to  help  capture  those  four 
Yankees,"  said  he.  "They  are  Confederate 
prisoners,  and  I  am  a  Confederate  officer." 

Tom  did  not  wait  to  see  him  off,  but  mounted 
his  horse  and  set  out  for  home  at  top  speed, 
as  if  he  w^ere  impatient  to  arm  himself  and 
join  his  men  in  the  pursuit ;  but  he  went  long 
distances  out  of  his  way  to  summon  members 
of  his  company  whom  he  knew  he  would  not 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  231 

find  at  home,  so  that  it  was  after  three  o'clock 
when  he  galloped  through  his  father's  gate 
and  drew  rein  at  the  foot  of  the  steps.  He 
had  had  ample  time  to  think  over  the  situa- 
tion and  make  up  his  mind  what  he  would 
do. 

"My  dear  boy,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Randolph, 
when  Tom  had  hurriedly  explained  matters  to 
her,  "you  must  not  risk  your  life  and  liberty 
by  going-  in  pursuit  of  those  escaped  prisoners. 
I'll  never  consent  to  it  ;   never  in  this  world." 

"  Then  show  me,  please,  how  I  can  get  out  of 
it,"  answered  Captain  Tom,  gently  disengag- 
ing himself  from  his  mother's  clinging  hands 
and  starting  up  the  stairs  toward  his  room, 
"Some  of  my  men  are  in  the  woods  by  this 
time,  and  if  that  lieutenant  should  happen  to 
run  against  them,  his  first  question  would 
be  :  '  Where's  your  captain  ?  He  ought  to 
be  here,  conducting  the  pursuit  in  jierson.' 
Really  I  must  show  up,  mother,  for  I  want 
those  veterans  to  tell  Colonel  Parker,  when 
they  go  back  to  camp,  that  I  did  all  I  could 
to  aid  them  in  capturing  the  Yanks." 

"Then  you  are  sure  they  \\i\\  be  captured— 


232  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

that  they  will  not  be  permitted  to  roam  at 
liberty  during  the  night?"  said  Mrs.  Ran- 
dolph, who  had  never  before  exhibited  so 
much  nervousness  and  anxiety  as  she  did  at 
that  moment.  "I  couldn't  sleep  if  I  knew 
they  were  at  large." 

"No,  I  am  not  sure  of  it,  for  they  have 
proved  themselves  to  be  both  daring  and 
cunning.  Just  think  what  they  have  done  ! 
They  have  killed  their  guards,  captured  and 
paroled  half  a  dozen  soldiers,  and  kept  out  of 
reach  of  the  hounds  for  three  days  ;  and  such 
men  are  not  going  to  be  taken  easily,  I  bet 
you,"  replied  Tom  from  the  head  of  the 
stairs  ;  and  then  he  went  into  his  room  to  don 
his  uniform  and  buckle  on  his  sword  and 
revolver.  A  few  minutes  later  he  came  out  to 
ask  his  mother  what  she  thought  of  Captain 
Roach's  way  of  doing  business. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  couldn't  be  reported  and 
liauled  over  the  coals  for  associating  with  those 
Grays  ?  "  said  Tom. 

"  If  the  captain  is  disloyal — and  we  have  no 
way  of  judging  of  his  feelings  except  by  his 
actions — I  certainly  think  his  superior  officers 


uisrcLE  sam's  lost  boys.  233 

ongbt  to  know  it,"  said  Mrs.  Randolph. 
"But,  my  dear " 

"  I  know  what  you  want  to  say,"  interrupted 
Captain  Tom.  "You  mean  that  if  I  report 
him  for  any  of  his  shortcomings,  he  will 
conscript  me.  Then  he  had  better  do  it  at 
once,  for  if  he  waits  a  week  it  will  be  too 
late." 

"Tom,  are  you  going  to  resign  your  com- 
mission 1 " 

"  I  am  going  to  take  Larkin's  place  as  over- 
seer of  this  i^lantation,"  replied  Tom,  very 
decidedly.  "I  thought  it  would  be  a  big- 
come-down  at  first,  but  since  I  have  thought 
the  matter  over,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that 
it  will  be  a  change  for  the  better.  I  can't  be 
forced  into  the  army  ;  being  a  civilian  I  may 
be  able  to  obtain  some  salt,  coffee,  and-  things 
from  the  Yanks  ;  and  if  father  ever  has  a 
chance  to  sell  that  cotton,  I  shall  be  at  hand  to 
help  him  run  it  up  out  of  the  swamp." 

Captain  Tom  fully  expected  that  his  mother 
would  strongly  object  to  these  plans,  and  he 
even  thought  she  might  denounce  him  as  a 
traitor  to  the  South  and  its  flag  ;  but  some- 


234  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

what  to  his  surprise  she  did  nothing  of  the 
kind.  She,  too,  had  liad  leisure  to  think  the 
matter  over,  and  much  against  her  will  had 
been  obliged  to  confess  to  herself  that  it  didn't 
I)ay  to  be  too  good  a  rebel  while  the  Federals 
held  undisputed  possession  of  Baton  Rouge, 
and  blue-coated  cavalry  were  scouting  about 
through  the  country.  She  even  wished  thnt 
Tom  would  hide  his  uniform,  his  military 
saddle  and  bridle,  and  his  sword  where  nobody 
would  ever  see  them  again. 

"That  is  what  I  have  decided  to  do,"  con- 
tinued Captain  Tom,  as  he  slipped  his  six- 
shooter  into  its  holster  and  came  down  the 
stairs,  "and  I  mean  to  attend  to  it  as  soon  as 
I  see  those  four  Yanks  captured." 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  as  well,"  answered 
his  mother.  "Delays  are  sometimes  danger- 
ous. But  I  don't  see  how  I  can  give  my 
consent  to  let  you  go  on  this  expedition." 

"Don't  worry  about  me.  I  am  bound  to 
come  back  all  right,  and  I'll  never  have  to  go 
on  another.  And  when  that  traitor  Roach 
gets  ready  to  send  off  his  conscrijits,  he  can 
tell  somebody  besides  me  to  take  them." 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  235 

"  Will  you  recommend  anyone  to  the  Gov- 
ernor to  take  your  place  ?  " 

"Not  miicli.  I  don't  care  whether  or  not 
anybody  gets  it,  so  long  as  Lambert  is  left  out 
in  the  cold  with  a  fair  chance  of  being  sent  to 
Camp  Pinckney.  Good-bj^,  mother,  I  must  be 
off,  or  some  evil-minded  person  in  the  settle- 
ment will  accuse  me  of  shirking  my  duty." 

The  leave-taking  was  a  tearful  one  on  Mrs. 
Randolph's  part,  but  Captain  Tom  could  not 
have  been  more  unconcerned  if  he  had  been 
going  to  Mooreville  to  buy  groceries.  He 
thought  he  knew  a  way  to  keep  up  his  repu- 
tation as  a  loyal  Southerner  and  steer  clear  of 
the  dreaded  Yankees  at  the  same  time. 

"There's  one  thing  about  it,"  soliloquized 
Tom,  as  he  galloped  out  of  the  gate,  waving  a 
last  farewell  to  his  mother  as  he  went,  "our 
folks  are  not  as  fierce  for  secession  as  they 
used  to  be,  and  I  am  mighty  glad  to  know  it. 
AVe're  getting  so  we  live  awful  hard.  Our 
table  is  a  sight  to  behold,  with  nothing  on  it 
but  corn  pone,  bacon,  sweet  potato  coffee,  and 
buttermilk  from  one  week's  end  to  another's, 
and  I  am  getting  tired  of   such  grub.     And 


286  EODNEY,  THE   OVEIISEER. 

wliere  am  I  going  to  raise  forty-five  dollars  in 
Confederate  money  to  pay  for  a  pair  of  boots 
when  these  wear  out?  There's- plenty  of  gold 
in  the  liouse,  and  I  could  use  it  to  good  advan- 
tage if  I  could  only  get  into  Baton  Rouge  and 
obtain  a  permit  from  the  provost  marshal  to 
trade  there.  Til  bet  you  that  Rodney  Gray 
and  that  chum  of  his  will  be  rigged  out  spick- 
and-span  from  head  to  foot  the  next  time  I  see 
tliem,  and  they  will  buy  their  things  inside 
the  Yankee  lines,  too.  Now,  I'll  tell  you 
what's  a  fact;  I've  just  as  much  right  to  use 
tlie  Yankees  as  they  have." 

When  Captain  Tom  reached  this  point  in  his 
meditations  he  drew  rein  in  front  of  a  pair 
of  bars  giving  entrance  into  a  lane  that  ran 
tlirough  his  father's  plantation  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  river.  The  liouse  was  concealed 
from  his  view  by  an  abrupt  bend  in  the  road, 
and  a  hasty  glance  on  each  side  showed  him 
that  there  was  no  one  in  sight ;  so  he  bent 
down  from  his  saddle,  opened  the  bars,  and 
rode  into  the  lane.  It  is  true  that  the  escaped 
prisoners  and  the  soldiers  and  hounds  that 
were  pursuing  them  were  not  on  that  side  of 


UNCLE   SAM'S   lost   BOYS.  237 

the  road,  bat  two  miles  away  in  the  opposite 
direction,  but  Captain  Tom  did  not  stop  to 
think  of  that.  He  knew  where  he  was  going, 
and  made  all  haste  to  get  there  as  soon  as  he 
had  pnt  up  the  bars. 

"There  are  not  half  a  dozen  citizens  in  the 
neighborhood  who  will  lend  a  hand  in  catch- 
ing those  prisoners,  and^the  last  one  of  the 
Home  Guards  will  fall  out  and  strike  for  a 
place  of  safety  the  minute  they  find  out  that 
the  Yanks  are  armed,"  thought  Tom,  as  he 
rode  swiftly  along  the  lane,  turning  about  in 
his  saddle  now  and  then  to  make  sure  that  no 
one  was  observing  his  movements.  "And 
that  being  the  case,  why  should  I  risk  my 
life  in  trying  to  capture  them  ?  Say  !  By 
gracious  !  " 

As  this  exclamation  fell  from  Captain  Tom's 
lips  he  pulled  up  his  horse  with  a  jerk,  and 
looked  first  at  the  road  and  then  at  the  cluster 
of  trees  that  shut  the  house  off  from  his  sight. 
He  spent  a  minute  or  two  in  this  way  and  then 
rode  on  again. 

"  That's  a  splendid  idea,  but  my  wit  always 
comes  too  late  to  be  of  any  use  to  me,"  said  he 


238  RODNKY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

angrily ;  and  he  avenged  himself  on  his  slow- 
wit  by  hitting  his  spirited  horse  such  a  sting- 
ing cut  with  his  whip  that  the  animal  came 
very  near  "jflying"  the  road  and  going  off  into 
the  ditch.  "  Instead  of  this  gray  uniform, 
which  will  send  me  to  a  Northern  prison  if  the 
Yankees  ever  catch  me  with  it  on,  why  didn't 
I  keep  on  my  citizen's  clothes?  Then  I 
needn't  have  had  the  least  fear  of  meeting  the 
prisoners.  I  could  have  fed  and  sheltered 
them  to-night  and  guided  them  to  the  city  in 
the  morning  ;  and  in  return  for  my  services  I 
could  have  asked  the  provost  marshal  to  give 
me  a  permit  to  buy  some  things  in  the  stores. 
Dog-gone  the  luck  !  " 

Captain  Randolph  hit  his  horse  another 
merciless  blow  with  the  whip,  and  this  time 
the  animal's  sudden  spring  had  a  most  as- 
tounding result.  He  jumped  sideways  clear 
over  the  ditch  that  ran  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
and  when  he  landed  on  the  opposite  bank 
lie  stopped  so  quickly  that  his  rider  was 
thrown  headlong  from  his  saddle,  bringing  up 
among  the  cotton  stalks  ten  feet  farther  on. 
He  was  not  in  the  least  injured  or  even  jarred 


UNCLE   SAM's   lost   BOYS.  239 

by  his  fall,  but  he  was  tolerably  angry  to  find 
himself  so  easily  unhorsed.  He  raised  himself 
on  his  elbow,  but  before  he  could  make  an- 
other move,  or  give  utterance  to  his  pent-up 
feelings,  a  voice  near  at  hand  said  pleasantly  : 

"  Griad  to  see  you,  John,  but  didn't  expect 
to  be  introduced  in  such  a  promiscuous  man- 
ner, you  know.  Don't  stand  on  ceremony, 
but  come  right  in.  The  latch-string  is  always 
out." 

This  incident  happened  almost  in  the  edge 
of  the  little  grove  of  evergreens  toward  which 
Captain  Tom  had  been  directing  his  course 
ever  since  he  x)assed  through  the  bars.  It  was 
his  intention  to  conceal  himself  and  his  horse 
among  the  evergreens  -  and  remain  there  in 
safety  until  dark,  while  the  rest  of  the  Home 
Guards  and  the  citizens,  if  any  there  were 
who  had  a  fancy  to  join  Captain  Roach  in 
such  perilous  business,  searched  the  woods 
for  the  escaped  prisoners. 

Tom  Randolph's  first  feeling  was  one  of 
the  most  intense  surprise,  without  a  particle 
of  fear  or  anxiety  in  it  ;  but  when  he  rolled 
over  on  his  side  to  brin^-  his  face  toward  the 


240        KODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

grove,  he  was  almost  paralyzed  ^yith  terror  to 
see  three  ragged  fellows  in  nondescrijit  uni- 
forms advancing  swiftly  upon  him,  while  a 
fourth  covered  his  head  Avith  a  cocked  carbine 
from  the  edge  of  the  evergreens.  One  of  the 
three  secured  his  horse,  Avhich  had  not  moved 
an  inch  since  he  rid  himself  of  his  inhuman 
rider,  a  second  swnng  the  black  muzzle  of  a 
musket  in  unpleasant  proximity  to  his  face, 
and  the  third  knelt  by  his  side  and  took  pos- 
session of  his  sword  and  revolver. 

"Was  yer  looking  fur  Ave  uns,  Johnny 
boy?"  chuckled  the  one  who  held  the  mus- 
ket. "If  yer  was,  hyar  Ave  is.  Mighty  glad 
to  see  yer,  and  dat's  a  fac'.  Come  along. now, 
and  we  uns  Avill  cut  a  AA^aterraillj^nn." 

"  Who — Avho  are  you  ?  "  gasped  Tom,  whose 
terror  was  greatly  increased  by  the  soldier's 
grim  humor. 

"Well,  Johnny,  Ave're  so  ragged  and  dirty 
just  noAv  that  Ave  don't  rightly  knoAv  Avho  Ave 
are,  except  that  we  are  some  of  Uncle  Sam's 
lost  boys,"  replied  the  one  who  had  captured 
the  SAvord  and  revolver.  "  I  expect  he's  down 
to  Baton  Rouge  noAv  Avaiting  for  us,  and  so 


UNCLE   SAM'S   lost   BOYS.  241 

we'd  best  be  toddling  along.  Take  that  horse 
into  the  grove  out  of  sight,  Ben.  Come  on, 
Johnny." 

"  Have  you  heard  hounds  giving  tongue  in 
the  woods  anywhere  about  here?"  inquired 
the  one  who  had  first  spoken. 

Tom  was  so  nearly  overcome  with  fear  that 
he  could  not  answer.  He  hardly  knew  when 
two  of  Uncle  Sam's  lost  boys  took  him  by  the 
arms  and  raised  him  to  his  feet.  All  he  real- 
ized was  that  he  had  run  squarely  into  the 
hands  of  those  he  had  tried  so  hard  to  avoid. 


itj 


CHAPTER  X. 

NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS. 

AFTER  accompanying  our  Confederate 
-/TA-  hero,  RodnejT-  Gray,  throngli  fifteen 
months  of  army  life,  during  which  he  saw 
more  adventures,  endured  more  hardships  and 
learned  more  wisdom  than  he  had  ever  dreamed 
of,  we  left  him,  at  the  close  of  the  second  vol- 
ume of  this  series,  safe  in  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood, which  he  had  left  for  the  avowed  purpose 
of  "driving  the  Yankees  out  of  Missouri." 
He  confidently  assured  his  mother  and  the 
servants  who  assembled  to  see  him  off  that 
it  would  not  take  more  than  three  or  four 
months  to  do  that,  and  then  he  would  return, 
like  Lentulus  of  old,  "  with  victorious  eagles." 
Instead  of  that,  he  came  back  as  ragged  and 
disgusted  a  specimen  of  a  Confederate  volun- 
teer as  could  be  found  anywhere  in  the  South 
at  the  time  of  which  we  Avrite,  and  that  is  say- 
ing a  good  deal.     The  summer  clothing  given 

242 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  243 

him  and  his  comrades  at  Tupelo  after  the  re- 
treat from  Corinth,  and  which  had  been  fur- 
nished by  one  of  the  numerous  "ladies'  asso- 
ciations" of  the  South,  was  not  calculated  to 
stand  soldier  treatment.  The  trousei's  Rodney 
wore  were  made  of  a  rich  shawl,  and  his  blouse 
had  once  been  part  of  a  costly  silk  dress.  His 
nights  at  the  camp-fire,  and  the  days  he  had 
passed  trudging  along  dusty  roads,  had  played 
sad  havoc  with  his  "  pictured  uniform."  That 
was  what  Dick  Graham  called  it,  and  his  regi- 
ment, which  had  been  pretty  well  supplied  Avith 
clothing  of  the  same  description,  presented  a 
very  fantastic  appearance  the  first  time  they 
went  on  dress  parade. 

You  will  remember  that  Rodney  brought 
Dick  home  with  him.  Dick  wanted  to  get 
into  Missouri  Avhere  his  parents  Avere,  and  in 
order  to  do  that  it  was  necessary  that  he 
should  find  some  point  on  the  Mississippi  that 
was  not  guarded  by  Federal  gunboats.  They 
came  from  Camp  Pinckney  on  foot,  and  had 
been  doing  duty  as  infantrymen  for  months, 
although  their  regiment  was  always  spoken 
of  as  the  — th  Missouri  cavalry.     Their  horses 


244        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

had  been  "confiscated"  by  the  commissary 
department  during  that  dreary  "  mnd  march" 
from  the  disastrous  battlefield  of  Pea  Ridge 
to  Van  Buren  and  Pocahontas.  The  com- 
manding general,  Van  Dorn,  did  not  need  cav- 
alry during  that  march,  but  it  was  necessary 
that  his  wagon  train  should  go  through  ;  so  as 
fast  as  his  jaded  teams  gave  out  and  dropped 
in  the  road,  he  took  cavalry  horses  to  replace 
them,  and  in  process  of  time  the  two  Barring- 
ton  boys  found  themselves  on  foot  like  hun- 
dreds of  others. 

You  will  remember,  too,  that  when  Rodney 
reached  home  he  led  his  friend  into  the  parlor 
and  pushed  him  into  an  easy-chair  with  the 
words  :  "  Stay  here  till  I  find  somebody,"  and 
that  his  mother  came  in  a  moment  later. 
The  way  in  which  the  two  greeted  each  other 
after  their  long  separation  was  something  of 
which  Dick  Graham  could  not  remain  an  un- 
moved spectator,  for  it  made  him  think  of  his 
own  mother  away  off  across  the  river,  whom 
he  might  never  see  again.  He  staggered 
rather  than  walked  to  the  window,  and  looked 
out  at  the  oleanders  in  the  yard. 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  245 

"  O  Rodney,  is  it  f)ossible  that  you  have 
come  back  to  me  at  last!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Gray  tearfully  ;  and  Dick  knew,  without  turn- 
ing his  head,  that  she  was  holding  her  stalwart 
son  off  at  arms'  length  and  giving  him  a  good 
looking  over. 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  returned  soldier, 
placing  his  arm  about  his  mother's  waist  and 
leading  her  toward  a  sofa,  "  I  have  come  back, 
and  I  have  come  to  stay.  The  last  words  you 
said  to  me  right  out  there  on  the  gallery  were 
that  you  never  wanted  to  hear  that  I  had 
failed  to  do  my  duty.  You  haven't  heard 
any  such  report  as  that,  have  you?  I  have 
done  the  best  I  could,  but  I  have  come  back 
whipped ;  and  I  wish  every  other  man  who 
wears  a  gray  jacket  were  honest  enough  to 
say  tlie   same  thing." 

The  listening  Dick  expected  to  hear  his 
chum  soundly  rebuked  for  giving  utterance  to 
such  sentiments,  because  he  knew  that  the 
women  were  much  more  zealous  for  the  cause 
of  Southern  independence  than  their  male 
relatives,  that  they  were  exerting  themselves  to 
the  utmost  to  keep  the  war  spirit  at  fever  heat, 


246  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  that,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  them,  the  army 
from  which  he  had  just  been  discharged  would 
have  dwindled  to  a  corporal's  guard  long  ago. 
By  an  accidental  glance  into  a  mirror  that 
hung  on  a  side  wall  Dick  saw  that  Mrs.  Gray 
was  holding  her  soldier  boy  tightly  clasped 
in  her  arms  ;  but  he  did  not  hear  her  utter 
one  word  of  reproach.  Like  many  another 
mother's,  her  patriotism  had  been  sorely  tried, 
and  now  that  Rodney  had  returned  safe  and 
sound  she  considered  that  she  had  done  all 
for  the  cause  that  could  be  expected  of  her, 
and  hoped  that  he  would  never  leave  her  side 
again.  Let  some  other  mother's  son — Mrs. 
Randolph's,  for  instance — take  Rodney's  place 
at  the  front. 

"Say!"  exclaimed  Rodney,  starting  up 
all  of  a  sudden.  "What's  the -matter  here? 
This  room  doesn't  look  just  as  it  did  the  last 
time  I  saw  it.     Where's  the  carpet  ? " 

"It  was  cut  into  blankets  and  sent  to  Corinth, 
along  with  a  lot  of  other  things  that  I  thought 
might  be  of  use  to  you  ragged,  shivering  sol- 
diers," rei^lied  his  mother. 

"I  hoped  you  would  never  be  called  upon  to 


NED  GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  247 

make  the  smallest  sacrifice,"  said  Rodney  in  a 
tone  of  disgust. 

"Do  you  think  I  made  no  sacrifice  when 
I  sent  you  to  the  fiekl  ? "  said  Mrs.  Gray  re- 
proachfully.    "  0  Rodney." 

"  I  didn't  mean  that,"  said  the  boy  quickly. 
"  But  you  don't  want  to  rob  yourself  for  the 
sake  of  those  fellows  up  there,"  bobbing  his 
head  in  the  direction  in  which  he  supposed 
Bragg's  army  to  be.  "Like  as  not  the  poor, 
foolish  woman  who  cut  her  shawl  up  to 
make  these  trousers  of  mine  will  suffer  with 
cold  for  the  want  of  it.  But  I  am  forgetting 
something.  Come  here,  old  fellow.  Mother, 
you  have  often  heard  me  speak  of  Dick 
Graham,  the  only  brother  I've  got.  Well,  here 
he  is.  Rags  and  dust  and  all,  that's  Dick. 
Kiss  him  for  his  mother,  and  tell  me  where  I 
will  find  father." 

The  lonely,  homesick  young  Missourian  was 
almost  overwhelmed  by  the  kindly  greeting 
that  Rodney's  mother  gave  him,  but  his  friend 
was  quick  to  notice  it  and  came  to  his  relief. 
When  his  mother  said  that  Mr.  Gray  had 
gone   to   Mooreville    on   business    and    might 


248  RODNEY,  THE   OVEESEEE. 

not  be  back  for  an  liour  or  two,  lie  seized 
Dick  by  tlie  arm  and  hurried  him  up  to  his 
room. 

"  I  have  known  you  a  good  while,  but  I  never 
saw  3^ou  look  so  glum  before,"  said  he,  as  he 
closed  the  door  and  forced  Dick  into  a  seat. 

"  You  may  well  say  that,"  replied  the  latter. 
"  I  bore  up  pretty  well  until  I  saw  you  and 
your  mother  together,  and  that  knocked  me. 
It's  a  fur  ways  to  Little  Rock,  and  there  are  a 
good  many  Yanks  on  the  road." 

"I'll  trust  you  and  your  discharge  to  get 
along  with  the  Yankee  cavalry  if  I  can  only 
see  you  safe  over  the  river,"  said  Rodney. 
"  There  is  jvhere  the  fun  is  going  to  come  in." 

"Don't  you  think  that  the  commanding 
naval  officer,  or  the  provost  marshal  at  Baton 
Rouge,  might  be  prevailed  upon  to  give  me 
permission  to  go  over  ojDenly  and  above- 
board  1"  inquired  Dick. 

"Not  much.  You  wouldn't  do  it  j^ourself 
if  you  were  in  their  places.  How  would  they 
know  but  that  you  were  a  spy  or  a  bearer  of 
secret  despatches,  and  that  your  discharge  was 
a  humbug  ?    I  tell  you,  Dick,  since  I  have  had 


NED   GRIFFIN  BRINGS   NEWS.  249 

time  to  think  of  tlie  way  those  Yankee  scouts 
treated  us  when  they  tokl  us  to  come  in  out  of 
the  wet,  I  confess  to  a  very  friendly  feeling  for 
the  Yankees.  How  many  are  there  who  would 
have  run  us  in,  just  to  be  able  to  say  that  they 
had  captured  a  coui^le  of  graybacks  ?" 

"That's  so,"  assented  Dick. 

"  Now  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  stay 
with  me  long  enough  to  rest  your  hands  and 
face,  say  a  week  or  such  a  matter,  and  then 
we'll  go  up  to  Vicksburg " 

"Suffering  Moses!"  exclaimed  Dick. 
"There  is  a  portion  of  two  Yankee  fleets  up 
there,  according  to  the  last  report  I  read,  and 
they  are  fighting  our  fellows  all  the  time." 

"Well,  say  Port  Hudson  then.  There 
hasn'  t  been  much  of  any  fighting  there.  We'  II 
buy  a  light,  tight  boat  and  provision  it " 

Here  Dick  straightened  up,  and  turned  his 
pockets  inside  out  one  after  the  other  to  show 
that  they  were  empty. 

"I  know  what  you  mean  by  that,"  ex- 
claimed Rodney,  "but  I'll  see  that  you  have 
all  the  money  you  want — money,  I  said,  and 
not  such  stuff  as  that,"  he  added,  thrusting 


250        KODNEY,  THE  OVEESEER. 

his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  pulling  out  the 
roll  of  Confederate  scrip  that  the  i)ayinaster 
had  given  him  with  his  discharge.  "Mother 
was  wild  for  Southern  independence  when 
this  thing,  was  first  started,  but  thought  it 
wise  to  prejDare  for  a  rainy  day  ;  so  she  and 
father  and  I  put  awa}^  a  little  gold." 

"If  it  wasn't  for  the  fact  that  my  father 
arid  mother  did  the  same  thing,  I'd  call  you  a 
traitor,"  said  Dick. 

"Oh,  I  know  we  are  in  good  company," 
answered  Rodney  with  a  laugh.  "And  we 
don't  think  any  the  less  of  ourselves  for  put- 
ting away  that  gold,  either.  Think  what  a 
fix  Washington's  army  was  in  when  it  was 
mustered  out  at  Newburgh.  Those  men  were 
victorious,  but  even  victors  mnst  eat  and  have 
something  to  wear,  and  what  did  they  have 
to  live  on  ?  Do  yon  suppose  they  would  have 
thought  seriously  of  mutiny  if  they  had  had 
a  little  store  of  hard  stuff  to  fall  back  on  ? 
That's  why  we  hid  the  gold  ;  and  it  doesn't 
make  any  difference  what  sort  of  laws  the 
government  at  Richmond  passes,  we  are  going 
to  keep  what  we   have.     Now,  let   me  show 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  251 

you  how  miicli  my  old  company  thought  of 
me." 

Although  Rodney's  room  had  been  regularly 
cared  for  during  the  long  months  it  had  been 
without  an  occupant,  he  noticed,  the  moment 
he  went  into  it,  that  nothing  had  been  dis- 
turbed. A  newspaper,  which  he  had  tossed 
upon  the  floor  tlie  morning  he  left,  was  lying 
in  nearly  the  same  spot  yet ;  and  his  light 
fowling-piece  was  standing  in  the  corner 
where  he  had  placed  it  after  shooting  a  hawk 
that  was  bothering  Aunt  Martha's  chickens. 
He  opened  the  door  of  his  closet  as  he  spoke, 
and  almost  without  looking  put  his  hand  upon 
the  elegant  cavalry  sabre  that  Bob  Hubbard's 
Rangers  had  given  him.  The  uniform  he  had 
worn  while  acting  as  drill-master,  and  his 
military  saddle  and  bridle  were  there,  too. 

"  I  left  them  at  home  because  I  knew  they 
would  get  me  captured  if  I  tried  to  take  them 
into  Missouri,"  said  he.  "Now,  pull  off  that 
picture-book,"  he  added,  nodding  toward 
Dick's  silk  blouse,  "and  after  you  have  re- 
moved a  little  of  the  Louisiana  soil  from  your 
features,  put  on  this  citizen's  suit.     I  am  not 


252  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

sure  it  will  fit  yon,  but  it  is  tlie  best  I  can  do 
until  I  see  how  trade  is." 

"I  suppose  gold  is  as  potent  in  Baton 
Rouge  as  it  was  in  Little  Rock,"  said  Dick. 
"But  do  you  think  our  discharges "  will  take 
us  inside  the  Yankee  lines?  " 

"  We'll  make  them,"  replied  Rodney. 
"  We'll  say  that  we  want  to  report  ourselves 
to  the  provost  marshal  and  get  a  pajier  of 
some  kind  from  him  that  will  keep  the  Federal 
scouts  from  bothering  us  ;  and  when  we  see 
him  we'll  bounce  him  for  jDermission  to  trade." 

The  boys  went  to  work  to  make  such  im- 
provements in  their  jDersonal  appearance  as 
they  could  with  ];)lenty  of  soap  and  water  and 
Rodney's  abundant  wardrobe,  and  when  a  bell 
rang  in  a  lower  hall  half  an  hour  later,  they 
answered  it  looking  quite  unlike  the  dusty 
ragamuffins  who  had  walked  unbidden  into 
Mrs.  Gray's  front  parlor.  It  is  true  that  their 
coats  w^ere  a  little  short  in  the  sleeves  and 
tight  across  tlie  shoulders,  but  there  were  no 
holes  in  them  or  in  the  light  shoes  they  wore 
on  their  feet. 

"That's  all  O.  K.,  mother,"  said  Rodney, 


NED   GRIFFIN   BllINGS   NEWS.  253 

catcliing  a  momentary  glimi^se  of  a  well-filled 
table  through  the  oi)en  door.  "When  you  can't 
think  of  any  other  way  to  put  in  the  time,  just 
ask  us  if  we  want  something  to  eat.  Now  come 
and  sit  down  with  us,  and  tell  us  everything 
that's  happened  since  I  have  been  in  the  army." 
Rodney's  entrance  into  the  dining  room 
seemed  to  be  the  signal  that  the  house  ser- 
vants had  been  waiting  for.  The  moment  he 
stepped  over  the  threshold  they  rushed  in 
through  every  door,  some  smiling,  some  laugh- 
ing outright,  and  all  pushing  and  crowding 
one  another  in  the  efi'ort  to  be  the  first  to 
shake  "young  moster"  by  the  hand.  Fore- 
most in  the  struggle  was  Rosebud,  the  darkey 
who  had  been  Rodney's  playmate  in  the  days 
of  his  babyhood,  and  who  yelled  so  dolefully 
when  he  went  away.  Although  they  all  in- 
quired particularly  after  his  health,  there  was 
not  one  among  them  who  asked  what  he 
thought  of  the  Yankees  as  fighters  now  that 
he  had  had  some  experience  with  them.  They 
knew  as  well  as  he  did  that  he  and  his  com- 
rades had  failed  utterly  in  their  efforts  to  take 
Missouri  out  of  the  Union. 


^54  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Mrs.  Gray  could  not  describe  in  one  dinner 
hour  everything  that  had  happened  in  and 
around  Mooreville  during  the  last  fifteen 
months,  nor  could  she  do  it  in  a  dozen  hours  ; 
and  even  at  the  end  of  a  week  she  and  her 
husband  had  many  questions  to  answer  as  well 
as  many  to  ask.  But  before  he  Avent  to  bed 
that  night  Rodney  knew  pretty  nearly  what 
Tom  Randolph  and  his  Home  Guards  had 
been  doing,  and  how  he  and  the  enrolling 
officer  stood  in  the  community,  and  had  been 
made  to  see  at  least  one  thing  very  clearly : 
the  surest  way  for  him  to  keep  out  of  the 
army  was  to  follow  Ned  Griffin's  example  and 
take  a  position  as  overseer  on  one  of  his 
father's  plantations. 

"I  am  overjoyed  to  know  that  you  have 
decided  to  remain  at  home  with  us,"  said  his 
father,  "but,  to  be  honest,  I  did  not  look  for 
it,  so  I  gave  Griffin  the  best  opening  I  had. 
Our  upper  j^lantation,  as  you  are  aware,  is 
right  in  the  middle  of  the  woods  ;  but  I  think 
Ned  will  be  willing  to  make  the  change  if 
I  ask  him." 

"Not  for  the  world,"  said  Rodney  quickly. 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  255 

"I  am  used  to  living  in  the  woods,  so  I  will 
take  tlie  little  'farm  and  let  Ned  and  his 
mother,  stay  near  civilization,  where  they  can 
see  white  folks  once  in  a  while.  Besides,  I'd 
rather  like  to  be  within  reach  of  the  cotton 
you've  got  up  there.  A  Northern  paper  that 
came  into  our  hands  just  before  we  left  Tupelo 
contained  the.  information  that  there's  going 
to  be  trading  allowed  along  the  river,  and 
what  the  Yanks  especially  want  is  cotton." 

"I  don't  blame  them,"  said  Mr.  Gray,  with 
a  smile.  "  It  is  worth  sixty  cents  a  jiound  in 
New  York." 

This  piece  of  news  almost  took  Rodney's 
breath  away. 

"Four  hundred  and  fifty  bales  at — let  me 

see  ;   $270   a Great  Scott,  father  !     That 

doesn't  look  as  though  you  are  going  to  be 
reduced  to  beggary," 

"  But  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  our  cotton 
is  not  in  New  York,  but  concealed  in  the 
depths  of  a  swamp,"  said  his  mother  ;  and 
Rodney  afterward  had  occasion  to  recall  the 
words  wdien  he  was  working  night  and  day, 
with   Sailor  Jack's    assistance    and    Marcy's 


256  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

to  keep  this  cotton  out  of  the  hands  of  rascals, 
both  Union  and  Confederate,  who  were  trying 
their  best  to  talve  it  from  him  by  force  or  to 
cheat  him  out  of  it.  This  news  was  so  very 
important  that  it  could  be  talked  of  only  in 
whispers  ;  and  after  the  difficulties  that  lay  in 
the  way  of  getting  the  cotton  into  the  hands  of 
the  traders  had  been  discussed  in  tones  so  low 
that  no  eavesdropper  at  the  door  could  have 
heard  a  word  of  it,  Mrs.  Gray  said  in  her 
ordinary  voice  : 

"  You  boys  have  often  spoken  of  having 
Northern  papers  in  your  possession.  Did  your 
officers  permit  that  ? " 

"Well,  no,"  said  Rodney,  with  a  laugh. 
"  It  was  against  orders  to  look  at  one  of  them, 
and  I  have  seen  men  triced  up  by  the  thumbs 
for  disregarding  that  order." 

"  Then  how  did  they  get  inside  our  lines  ?  " 

"They  were  taken  from  dead  Yanks,  or  out 
of  the  pockets  of  prisoners,"  replied  Rodney. 
"  Sometimes  they  were  handed  over  to  an 
officer,  or  thrown  aside  to  be  picked  up  by 
other  men  who  didn't  care  so  much  for  orders  ; 
and  those  who  got  them  were  mighty  careful 


NED   GRIFFIN   BUINGS   NEWS.  257 

to  know  who  was  around,  when  they  took  them 
out  to  read  them.  Why,  mother,  I  am  telling 
you  the  gospel  truth  when  I  say  that  all  the 
reliable  news  we  army  fellows  got  was  what 
came  to  us  through  the  columns  of  Northern 
papers,  or  from  the  mouths  of  Northern  i^ris- 
oners.  But,  as  I  was  saying — $120,000  and 
over.  That's  what  your  cotton  is  worth, 
father,  and  I  will  take  the  little  farm  so  as  to 
be  where  I  can  see  it  once  in  a  while." 

There  were  so  many  questions  to  be  asked 
and  answered  that  Rodney  and  Dick  scarcely 
stirred  out  of  the  house  daring  the  whole  of 
the  next  day.  On  the  second  day  they  rode 
out  to  call  upon  Ned  Griffin  and  his  mother, 
both  of  whom  shed  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude 
when  they  took  Rodney  by  the  hand. 

"Yes;  thanks  to  your  father's  kindness,  I 
am  here  yet,"  said  Ned,  wiping  his  eyes,  which 
grew  misty  every  time  he  spoke  of  his  bene- 
factor, "  though  mercy  knows  how  I  am  going 
to  pay  the  debt  I  shall  owe  him  when  the 
terms  of  the  conscription  law  are  complied 
with.  A  hundred  pounds  of  beef  and  bacon 
for  every  darkey  on  this  place,  big  and  little, 

17 


258  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  beef  and  bacon  worth — worth  way  up 
yonder,"  said  Ned,  pointing  to  the  ceiling. 
"  It  will  take  me  a  lifetime  to  pay  it." 

"Oh,  no,  it  won't,"  said  Rodney  encourag- 
ingly, "for  if  goods  are  high,  your  services 
will  command  wages  in  proportion  ;  don't  you 
see?" 

"Do  you  imagine  that  I  will  ever  charge 
your  father  a  cent  after  what  he  has  done  for 
me  ?"  cried  Ned  indignantly.  "I  am  not  that 
kind  of  a  fellow,  and  you  ought  to  know  it." 

"Well,  I  suppose  that  is  sentiment,  but  it 
isn't  business,"  said  the  i)ractical  Rodney. 
"Now,  then,  what  do  you  know?  Have  you 
the  straight  of  the  fights  the  Home  Guards 
had  with  those  gunboats  ?" 

Ned  laughed  until  he  was  red  in  the  face, 
and  then  went  on  to  give  the  "straight"  of 
one  "  fight "  as  he  had  heard  it  from  indignant 
citizens  of  Baton  Rouge,  who  had  petitioned 
General  Williams,  the  Union  commander,  to 
send  a  company  of  cavalry  to  Mooreville  with 
orders  to  exterminate  the  Home  Guards  or 
drive  them  from  the  country.  The  boys  heard 
much   the  same  story  from  several  disabled 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  259 

veterans  of  Bragg' s  army,  upon  whom  they 
called  on  their  way  home,  and  that  Avas  the 
way  Rodney  came  to  know  so  much  about 
what  had  been  transpiring  along  the  river  dur- 
ing his  absence.  He  and  Dick  also  learned 
from  various  sources  that  the  enrolling  officer 
would  prove  to  be  a  jolly  and  entertaining 
companion  when  once  they  became  acquainted 
with  him,  but  as  he  was  Tom  Randolph's 
friend,  they  had  better  not  trust  him  too  far 
at  first. 

"Perhaps  we'll  not  trust  him  at  all,"  said 
Rodney.  "We  can  tell  better  after  we  have 
had  a  look  at  him.  As  we  are  not  in  the  Con- 
federate service  we  are  under  no  obligations 
to  go  near  him  ;  still  he  might  look  upon  it 
as  a  courteous  and  friendly  act  if  we  were 
to  drop  into  his  ofiice  to-morrow  and  tell  him 
'hallo!'  " 

With  this  object  in  view  they  rode  to  Moore- 
ville  on  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and 
that  was  the  time  they  saw  Tom  Randolph  and 
frightened  him  nearly  out  of  his  wits,  as  we 
have  recorded,  by  assuring  him  that  he  need 
not  expect  to  take  a  squad  of  conscripts  to 


260  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Camp  Pinckney  without  having  a  brush  with 
the  Union  cavalry.  It  was  after  they  left  him 
that  they  heard  the  hounds  giving  tongue  in 
the  woods ;  but  such  sounds  were  common 
enough  in  that  country,  and  so  they  paid  no 
attention  to  it,  although  they  might  have  done 
so  had  they  been  able  to  look  far  enough  into 
the  future  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen 
afterward. 

When  they  reached  the  enrolling  office  Rod- 
ney found  that  he  knew  everyone  there  except 
the  officer  in  charge ;  and  as  he  shook  hands 
with  some  and  barely  nodded  to  others,  he 
told  himself  that  they  were  just  the  sort  of 
men  he  expected  to  find  in  Tom  Randolph's 
company  of  Home  Guards.  There  were  a  few 
industrious,  hard-working  ones  among  them, 
but  the  majority  were  long-haired,  lazy  vaga-- 
bonds,  who  had  never  been  known  to  earn  an 
honest  living. 

"They're  a  pretty  set  to  fight  a  gunboat," 
he  whispered  to  Dick  while  the  two  were 
hitching  their  horses  at  the  rack.  "And  I'll 
bet  my  roll  of  Confederate  scrip  against  yours 
that  they  never  take  any  conscripts  to   the 


NED   GRIFFIN"  BRINGS   NEWS.  261 

camp  of  instruction.  FUgo  farther,  and  say 
that  they  will  never  start  with  any,  for  when 
they  are  wanted  they'll  not  be  found.  Now 
let's  go  in  and  see  what  sort  of  a  chap  we  have 
to  deal  with." 

Dick  Graham  put  him  down  at  once  as  a 
conceited  prig,  who  did  not  know  a  thing  out- 
side of  office  routine,  and  was  so  disgusted 
with  the  airs  he  tried  to  throw  on  that  he  did 
not  salute  when  he  handed  out  his  discharge  ; 
but  Rodney,  who  did  not  care  any  more  for 
the  enrolling  officer  than  he  did  for  a  crooked 
stick  in  the  road,  pursued  a  different  course, 
and  very  soon  succeeded  in  making  Captain 
Roach  ashamed  of  himself.  He  made  him  see 
that  there  was  a  big  difference  between  a  vet- 
eran soldier  and  a  Home  Guard,  and  ended  by 
asking  him  to  dinner. 

"Now  you've  done  it,"  said  Dick,  as  the 
two  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  homeward. 
"If  your  mother  had  wanted  that  officer  at 
her  table,  don't  you  think  she  Avould  have 
asked  him  long  ago?" 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  Rodney. 
"  We're  privileged  characters,  and  my  folks 


2G2  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Avill  back  up  anything  we  do  or  say.  Besides, 
during  the  last  three  days  I've  got  to  be  a 
policy  man." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"Just  this:  so  long  as  Captain  Roach 
collognes  with  Tom  Randolph  and  his  mother 
— she's  the  one  I  am  afraid  of,  for  she  is  a 
schemer  from  tlie  word  go,  I  tell  you — so  long 
will  he  be  more  or  less  under  their  influence  ; 
and  "I  am  well  enough  acquainted  with  them 
to  know  that  they  would  not  hesitate  to  say 
or  do  anything  that  came  into  their  heads  if 
they  thought  they  could  set  him  against  me. 
So  I  wanted  the  first  chance  at  the  captain. 
There's  no  telling  at  what  moment  he  may  be 
able  to  do  us  a  good  turn." 

When  the  boys  reached  home  they  were  sur- 
prised to  find  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
suppressed  excitement  among  the  servants, 
which  showed  itself  now  and  then  in  spite  of 
all  their  efforts  to  keep  it  concealed.  Rod- 
ney's black  playmate,  who  came  to  the  steps 
to  take  charge  of  their  horses,  was  full  of 
news,  but  his  master  could  not  get  anything 
out  of  him,  although  he  threatened,  if  he  did 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS,  263 

not  speak,  to  take  him  on  board  the  gun- 
boats and  sell  him  to  the  Yankees  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning.  When  they  went  into 
the  house  they  met  Mrs.  Gray,  whose  face 
showed  that  she  was  not  altogether  at  her 
ease. 

"What's  up?"  demanded  Rodney. 

"Nothing  more  than  we  can  expect  in 
times  like  these,  I  suppose,"  she  replied,  with 
a  smile.  "  But  the  blacks  are  frightened,  and 
of  course  that  has  an  effect  on  me.  There  are 
four  escaped  Union  prisoners  in  the  vicinity, 
and  some  Confederate  soldiers  are  pursuing 
them  with  bloodhounds." 

Dick  Graham  took  note  of  the  fact  that  she 
did  not  say  "  some  of  our  soldiers,"  as  almost 
every  other  Southern  woman  would  have 
done.  He  thought  of  the  Federal  scouts 
who  had  captured  and  released  himself  and 
Rodney  a  few  days  before,  and  said  men- 
tally : 

"I  hope  they'll  not  catch  them.  I  wish 
we  could  find  them  long  enough  to  hand  them 
a  bottle  of  turpentine.  That  would  throw  the 
dogs  off  their  trail  in  short  order," 


264        KODNEY,  THE  OVEESEER. 

"  Well,  what  are  the  blacks  frightened  at  ? " 
continued  Rodney.  "  The  Yanks  don't  make 
war  on  people  of  their  color." 

"  But  they  know  that  there  are  two  ex- 
Confederate  soldiers  in  this  house "  began 

Mrs.  Gray. 

"  Now  I  understand  it ! "  exclaimed  Rodney. 
"  x^nd  that  was  the  reason  Rosebud  wouldn't 
tell  me  what  he  had  on  his  mind,  though  I 
promised  to  sell  him  if  he  didn't.  He  was 
afraid  that  Dick  and  I  would  saddle  np  and 
go  after  those  prisoners.  Well,  we're  not 
making  war  on  Yanks  so  much  as  we  were,  so 
yoti  can  rest  easy,  mother.  Bat  how  did  j^ou 
find  it  out?  We  didn't  hear  a  word  of  it  in 
town  or  along  the  road." 

"  Three  of  the  pursuing  party  rode  into  the 
yard  not  half  an  hour  ago  to  tell  me  of  it,  and 
to  ask  if  I  thought  any  of  our  blacks  would  be 
likely  to  feed  and  shelter  the  Federals  if  they 
came  on  the  plantation,"  answered  Mrs.  Gray. 
"  And  I  could  only  say  truthfully  that  I  was 
sure  they  would.  The  soldiers  do  not  mean 
to  give  the  poor  fellows  any  rest,  or  the  least 
chance  to  escape  to  the  river." 


NED   GKIFFIISr   BRINGS   NEWS.  265 

"  Hal-lo  !  "  ejaculated  Rodney.  "  Is  a  Yank 
a  poor  fellow  in  your  estimation  ?  " 

"A  weary  and  hungry  man  is  always  an 
object  of  pity,"  replied  liis  mother,  "and 
such  have  never  been  turned  from  this  plan- 
tation without  having  their  wants  relieved. 
And  now  the  soldiers  have  gone  and  put  those 
dreadful  Home  Guards  after  them." 

"Haw,  haw!"  laughed  Rodney.  "Tom 
Randolph's  Home  Guards  may  be  dreadful  to 
unarmed  Union  men  Avho  have  never  snuffed 
powder,  but  veterans,  such  as  I  take  these 
escaped  prisoners  to  be,  won't  stand  in  fear  of 
them.  Why,  mother,  if  these  four  men  were 
armed  they  would  whip  Tom's  whole  com- 
pany." 

"They  are  thoroughly  armed,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray.  "  And  when  they  are  in  need  of  food 
they  walk  right  into  a  plantation  house  and 
demand  it." 

"That's  all  right  too.  You  don't  expect 
men  to  go  hungry  when  there's  grub  in  sight, 
just  because  they  have  the  misfortune  to  be 
Yanks,  do  you?  Where  did  they  get  their 
weapons?" 


206  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Mrs.  Gray  shuddered  as  slie  told  tlie  story 
as  we  have  already  heard  it ;  and  when  she  de- 
scribed how  the  fugitives  had  surprised,  cap- 
tured, and  paroled  a  squad  of  six  men  who  had 
been  sent  in  pursuit  of  them,  Rodney's  face 
and  Dick's  beamed  with  admiration. 

"I'll  bet  they  are  bricks,"  said  the  former. 

"Top-notch,"  chimed  in  Dick. 

"And  do  the  Home  Guards  know  that  the 
Yanks  are  armed?"  continued  Rodney.  "If 
they  do,  there  isn't  a  man  in  the  company  who 
will  join  in  the  pursuit.  Tliey'll  make  a  big 
show  of  going  if  Tom  orders  them  out,  but  the 
first  good  chance  they  get  they'll  hide  in  the 
woods." 

"And  I  don't  know  that  I  blame  them," 
observed  Dick. 

"  Nor  me.  There's  no  fun  in  walking  up  on 
an  armed  and  desperate  man  when  he  is  con- 
cealed and  can  see  every  move  you  make, 
while  you  cannot  see  hide  nor  hair  of  him. 
Mother,"  here  he  sunk  his  voice  to  a  whisper, 
' '  I  hope  they  won' t  catch  those  fellows  ;  and 
if  they  come  around  this  house  I'll  help  them 
if  lean." 


NED   GRIFFIN   BRINGS   NEWS.  267 

*'  Here  too,"  whispered  Dick ;  and  Mrs.  Gray 
never  uttered  a  word  of  rebuke.  The  boys 
believed  that  she  would  help  them  herself. 

When  Mr.  Gray  came  in  the  matter  was 
talked  over  again,  and  he  did  not  appear  to  be 
very  anxious  that  the  fugitives  should  be  cap- 
tured. On  the  contrary  he  discussed  their 
cliances  of  escape  with  great  composure,  and 
said  he  thought  their  prospects  would  be 
brighter  than  they  were  if  they  only  had  some- 
body with  them  who  could  show  them  how  to 
throw  off  the  dogs.  These  dogs  were  not  in- 
tended to  seize  the  fugitives,  you  will  under- 
stand, but  merely  to  overtake  and  hold  them 
at  bay  until  the  soldiers  could  come  up. 
Large  packs  of  trained  "nigger"  dogs  would 
sometimes  pull  down  a  single  man  when  they 
found  him  in  the  woods,  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
liistory  that  some  of  our  poor  fellows  who 
escaped  from  Andersonville  were  sadly  torn 
by  them. 

But  the  four  escaped  prisoners  in  question 
did  not  come  near  Mr.  Gray's  house  that  night ; 
or  if  they  did,  Rodney  and  Dick  never  knew 
it.     It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  next  day, 


268  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

just  as  breakfast  was  nearly  over,  tliat  tlie  first 
exciting  tiling  happened.  Ned  Griffin  rode 
into  the  yard,  and  on  his  way  to  the  back 
porch  he  i)assed  along  the  carriage-way  in 
front  of  one  of  the  dining-room  windows.  Rod- 
ney had  a  fair  view  of  his  face  as  he  rode  by, 
and  Ned  looked  through  the  oj^en  window  and 
saw  Rodney  ;  and  in  an  instant  a  signal  passed 
from  one  to  the  other — a  signal  so  very  slight 
that  no  one  but  a  schoolboy  would  have  no- 
ticed it,  but  it  told  Rodney  as  plainly  as  words 
that  Ned  had  news  for  him  that  he  did  not 
want  to  divulge  in  the  jiresence  of  any  third 
party.  So  Rodney  hastily  excused  himself 
and  went  out  on  the  porch. 

"  You  look  just  as  Rosebud  did  when  I  came 
home  last  evening,"  said  he,  when  he  saw  Ned 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  holding  his 
horse  by  the  bridle.  "But  I  hope  you  will 
be  more  accommodating  than  he  was,  for  he 
would  not  tell  what  he  had  on  his  mind." 

"  Say,"  replied  Ned.  He  looked  all  around 
to  make  sure  that  there  was  no  else  within 
hearing  and  then  went  on.  "  You  heard  about 
those  escaped  Yankees,  didn't  you  ? " 


NED   GRIFFIX    BUINGS    N  KWS.  269 

"I  heard  all  about  them.     What  of  it?" 

"  They  came  to  our  house  last  night." 

"  That's  all  right.  You  treated  them  white, 
didn't  you?" 

"I  treated  them  the  best  I'  knew  how.  I 
thought  you  and  your  father  wouldn't  care." 

"  Of  course  not.  But  we  would  care  if  you 
had  treated  them  any  other  way.  What  of 
it?" 

"They  want  me  to  guide  them  to  Baton 
Rouge,"  continued  Ned  ;  and  then  Rodney 
noticed  that  the  hand  with  which  he  held 
his  bridle  trembled  like  a  leaf. 

"That's  all  right  too,  and  I  don't  see  any- 
thing alarming  in  it.     Why  don't  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  do  it,  but  you  see 
they  have  got  Tom  Randolph  with  them  and 
won't  give  him  up.  They  are  bound  to  take 
him  into  the  city  as  a  prisoner,  for  they  cap- 
tured him  in  uniform." 

This  astounding  information  almost  knocked 
Rodney  over.  He  sat  down  on  the  toi3most 
step,  rested  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  his 
chin  on  his  hands,  and  looked  at  Ned  without 
speaking. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY. 

I  TRIED  my  level  best  to  induce  tlie  Yanks 
to  let  Tom  Randolph  go  free,  and  so  did 
mother,"  continued  Ned,  slipping  the  bridle 
over  his  horse's  head  and  seating  himself 
on  the  steps  at  Rodney's  feet,  "but  they 
vrouldn't  hear  to  it.  The  worst  of  it  is, 
they  scared  the  life  out  of  Tom  and  made  him 
confess  everything." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  replied  Rodney, 
who  had  leisure,  while  Ned  was  speaking,  to 
gather  a  few  of  his  wits  about  him.  "  If  Tom 
told  how  he  persecuted  unarmed  Union  men  in 
this  settlement  he's  a  goner  sure  enough,  for 
there  isn'  t  a  soldier  in  the  world  who  will  stand 
such  work  as  that." 

"I  don't  believe  he  said  a  word  about  it," 
exclaimed  Ned. 

"Then  what  in  the  name  of  sense  did  he 
have  to  confess?" 

270 


THE  ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  271 

"  About  fighting  those  gunboats,  you 
know." 

"He  never  fought  any  gunboats,"  declared 
Rodney  impatiently.  "  What  do  you  sup- 
pose i)ossesses  him  to  stick  to  that  lie  every 
chance  he  gets  ?  One  would  think  he'd  get 
tired  of  it  after  a  while." 

"I  asked  him  that  very  question  when  the 
Yanks  permitted  me  to  have  a  little  private 
talk  with  him,"  said  Ned,  "and  the  reason  he 
gave  was  this  :  he  had  heard  that  brave  men 
resi)ected  brave  men,  and  he  hoped  his  captors 
would  treat  him  with  a  little  more  courtesy  if 
they  knew  that  he  was  a  valiant  soldier," 

Rodney  Gray  was  utterly  confounded. 

"  Valiant  sol Great  Scott !    There  isn't 

a  bigger  coward  in  the  Confederacy  than  Tom 
Randolph  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  But  you  see  the  Yankees  don't  know  that, 
and  Tom  has  stuffed  them  so  full  of  his  ridicu- 
lous stories  that  they  imagine  they  have  got 
hold  of  a  second  Mosby  or  Morgan,  and  that  he 
is  worth  keeping." 

"Did  you  tell  them  all  this?"  inquired 
Rodney. 


272        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

"Of  course  I  did  ;  but,  although  they  know 
that  I  am  a  Union  man  and  down  on  every- 
thing that  looks  like  secession  or  rebellion, 
they  Avould  not  believe  me,  and  you  will  have 
to  go  up  and  try  what  you  can  do  ;  that  is,  if 
you  feel  like  helping  one  who  has  always  done 
his  best  to  injure  you." 

"I'd  like  to  take  Tom  Randol])!!  right  out 
there  in  the  carriage  road  and  punch  his  head 
for  him  this  minute,"  replied  Rodney,  "but  I 
am  not  coward  enough  to  take  vengeance  on 
him  in  any  other  way.  Til  go,  of  course,  but 
I  don't  imagine  they  will  pay  any  more  atten- 
tion to  me  than  thej^  did  to  you," 

"Yes,  they  will ;  for  they  know  you." 

"Know  me?"  cried  Rodney,  opening  his 
eyes  wide  with  amazement.  "I  reckon  not. 
I  don't  know  a  living  Yank." 

"Well,  they  know  you,  and  Dick  Graham 
as  well,"  insisted  Ned.  "They  remember 
perfectly  of  reading  your  names  on  the  dis- 
charges you  showed  when  they  captured  you 
between  here  and  Camp  Pinckney." 
-  Rodney  Gray  had  got  upon  his  feet,  but 
when  he  heard  these  words  he  sat  down  again. 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  273 

He  stared  hard  at  Ned  as  if  lie  were  trying  to 
understand  something  that  was  too  hard  for 
him,  and  shouted : 

"Rosebud!" 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  asked  Ned, 
when  in  response  to  the  summons  the  darkey 
came  tumbling  out  of  the  kitchen  with  a  slice 
of  bacon  in  one  hand  and  a  chunk  of  corn 
pone  in  the  other. 

"I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  come  into  the 
house  and  tell  your  story  to  Dick  and  the 
folks  from  beginning  to  end,"  answered 
Rodney.  "Give  your  horse  to  Rosebud  and 
come  on." 

Ned  Griffin  followed  his  conductor  with 
some  reluctance,  for  he  did  not  know  what  a 
man  who  had  fitted  out  half  a  dozen  partisan 
rangers,  and  who  was  a  large  slaveholder 
besides,  might  think  of  an  overseer  who  gave 
aid  and  comfort  to  Union  soldiers  and  aboli- 
tionists without  saying  a  word  to  him  about 
it.  The  quick-witted  Rodney  must  have 
known  what  he  was  thinking  about,  for  after 
placing  Ned  in  a  chair  and  carefully  closing 
all  the  doors  that  gave  entrance  into  the  dining 

13 


274  llODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

room,  he  walked  up  to  his  father  and  whis- 
pered : 

"  Those  escaped  prisoners  were  up  to  Ned's 
last  night,  and  he  is  afraid  you  will  think 
hard  of  him  for  giving  them  a  bite  to  eat." 

"And  loaning  them  blankets  too,  Mr. 
Gray,"  chimed  in  honest  Ned,  who  meant  tliat 
his  employer  should  know  the  full  extent  of 
his  offending.  "  They  had  blankets  enough 
first  and  last,  but  were  so  hard  pressed  by  the 
dogs  that  they  had  to  throw  away  everything 
except  their  guns." 

"Well,  I  assure  you  that  I  don't  think 
hard  of  you  for  giving  hungry  men  something 
to  eat  and  a  bed  to  sleep  on,"  said  Mr.  Gray. 
"  I  should  have  done  the  same  thing  myself 
if  they  had  applied  to  me  ;  but  I  trust  you 
exercised  due  care  while  you  w^ere  doing  it." 

"I  know  what  you  mean,  sir,"  answered 
Ned,  "and  there  isn't  a  white  person  living 
who  knows  what  happened  on  that  plantation 
last  night  except  my  mother  and  Tom  Ran- 
dolph." 

A  shell  from  one  of  the  gunboats  in  front 
of  Baton  Eouge  could  scarcely  have  created 


THE  ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.         275 

greater  consternation  in  that  room  than  Ned 
Griffin's  last  words.  Mr.  Gray  thought  that 
Ned's  doings  might  as  well  be  published  in 
Richmond  at  once,  and  was  about  to  say  as 
much,  when  Rodney  took  a  great  load  from 
his  mind,  and  astonished  him  almost  beyond 
measure  at  the  same  time,  by  quietly  remark- 
ing that  Tom  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of 
the  Yankees,  who  were  bent  on  taking  him  to 
Baton  Rouge.  Then  he  requested  Ned  to  tell 
them  just  what  had  happened  on  his  planta- 
tion the  night  before,  and  the  latter  gave  the 
particulars  substantially  as  follows  : 

The  first  Ned  and  his  mother  heard  of  the 
escaped  prisoners  was  through  one  of  the 
house  servants,  who  declared  with  much  ear- 
nestness that  she  could  not  remember  just  who 
told  her  the  news,  but  it  was  in  everybody's 
mouth,  and  some  of  the  field  hands,  she  didn't 
know  who,  had  seen  and  talked  with  white 
men  who  had  seen  and  talked  with  the  Confed- 
erate soldiers  who  were  following  the  trail  of 
the  fugitives.  She  did  not  try  to  conceal  her 
joy  when  she  informed  Mrs.  Griffin  that  "dem 
Yanks  was  boun'  to  get  safe  to  de  ribber. 


276  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

kase  dey  had  done  pass  Mooreville  de  night 
befo',  and  de  houn'  dogs  had  done  been  heared 
givin'  tongue  in  de  woods  ten  miles  from 
Baton  Rouge."  Being  intensely  loyal  to  the 
Old  Flag  and  friendly  to  those  who  wore  the 
blue,  Ned  hoped  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart 
that  this  report  was  true  ;  but  understanding 
the  negro  nature  as  well  as  he  did,  he  could 
not  believe  more  than  half  of  it.  He  told  his 
mother  that  there  was  a  conspiracy  among  the 
slaves  to  shield  those  four  men,  and  that  they 
might  be  concealed  on  the  plantation  for  a 
month,  and  no  white  person  would  know  a 
thing  about  it.  Consequently  he  was  not  pre- 
pared for  what  took  place  about  an  hour  after 
dark. 

He  was  in  the  act  of  blowing  out  his  lantern 
after  seeing  that  everything  was  snug  for  the 
night.  He  had  been  the  rounds  of  the  quarter 
to  make  sure  that  the  darkeys  were  all  in  their 
cabins  where  they  belonged,  had  shaken  the 
padlocks  on  the  corn-cribs  and  smoke  house, 
assured  himself  that  his  yellow-legged 
chickens  were  all  roosting  high,  and,  being 
entirely   satisfied  with   his  day's  work,  was 


THE  ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  277 

preparing  for  a  quiet  evening  with,  liis  mother, 
when  there  came  a  knock  at  the  back  door. 
Ned  opened  it,  and  saw  his  negro  foreman 
Standing  there. 

"Caesar,"  he  exclaimed,  "didn't  I  leave 
you  at  your  cabin  not  more  than  ten  minutes 
ago  ?    You  ought  to  be  in  bed  by  this  time." 

"Oh,  yes,  sail ;  I  was  dah,"  replied  Caesar 
with  a  chuckle,  "kase  I  knowed  mighty  well 
dat  you'd  be  around  to  see  if  I  was  dah.  But 
I Step  out  hyar  a  minute,  please,  sah." 

Ned  went  out,  closing  the  door  behind  him, 
and  was  surprised  as  well  as  startled  to  find 
himself  confronted  by  two  men  who  carried 
guns  in  their  hands.  The  night  was  so  dark 
that  he  could  not  see  their  faces  or  clothing, 
and  his  first  thought  was  that  some  of  the 
Home  Guards  had  come  to  pay  him  what  their 
commander  humorously  called  a  "visit  of 
ceremony."  If  that  was  the  case  Ned  knew 
that  the  house  in  which  he  lived  would  be 
ransacked  and  robbed,  and  he  himself  given 
notice  to  quit  the  country  at  once,  or  take 
such  a  whipping  as  the  old  time  overseers 
used  to  give  their  negroes.     But  Caesar's  next 


278        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

words  reassured  liim,  altliougli  they  did  not 
lessen  his  astonishment. 

"  You  know  dem  Yankees  what's  runnin' 
loose  in  de  woods?"  he  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"  Wal,  sah,  Moster  Ned,  dem's  nm." 

"  We  hear  that  you  are  Union,  and  so  we 
have  made  bold  to  come  here  and  ask  if  you 
can  give  us  a  little  help,"  said  one  of  the  men  ; 
and  Ned  noticed  that  he  did  not  speak  like 
one  who  begged  a  favor.  There  was  a  ring  of 
defiance  in  his  tones,  which  under  the  circum- 
stances was  perfectly  surprising. 

"Who  told  you  that  I  am  Union?"  said 
Ned  at  length. 

"The  darkeys.  We  know  the  name  and 
politics  of  every  man  between  here  and  the 
jjlace  where  we  were  captured.  Just  now  we 
are  looking  for  supper  and  lodging." 

"  But  I  care  more  for  a  pair  of  shoes  than  I 
do  for  eating  and  sleeping,  although  I  am  so 
tired  that  I  could  drop  down  where  I  stand 
and  sleep  for  a  week,"  said  the  second  man. 
"The  hounds  have  driven  us  hard  since  we 
got  away,  and  I  have  worn  out  all  the  foot- 
gear I  could  get  or  steal." 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  279 

"  We  had  some  blankets  and  quilts  yester- 
day," added  Ills  companion,  "but  we  bad  to 
throw  them  away  this  morning  in  order  to 
make  light  weight  through  tlie  thick  woods. 
We  would  have  been  in  rags  if  it  had  not  been 
for  our  good  friends,  the  darkeys." 

"I  can  supply  your  Avants,  and  shall  be 
glad  to  do  so,"  said  Ned  promptly.  "  But 
you  must  never  mention  my  name  where  any 
of  my  neighbors  can  hear  it.  Come  into  the 
house,  and  Caesar  will  stand  outside  to  see 
that  no  one  slips  up  on  you.  There  ought  to 
be  four  of  you.     Where  are  the  other  two  ?  " 

"  We  left  them  in  the  woods  at  the  end  of 
the  lane,  keeping  guard  over  a  prize  we  gob- 
bled this  afternoon,"  replied  one  of  the  blue- 
coats  ;  and  when  they  were  conducted  into  the 
room  in  which  Mrs.  Griffin  was  sitting  they 
removed  their  remnants  of  hats  respectfully, 
and  droi)ped  with  something  like  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction  into  the  chairs  that  Ned  pulled 
up  for  them  ;  but  they  held  fast  to  their 
guns. 

It  took  but  a  minute's  time  for  Ned  to  ex- 
plain the  situation  to  his  mother,  and  scarcely 


280  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

longer  to  provide  for  tlie  immediate  wants  of 
the  two  fugitives  ;  for  when  Mrs.  Griffin  said 
that  they  were  w^elcome  to  everything  there 
was  in  the  house,  the  half  a  dozen  black  heads 
that  filled  one  of  the  doors  were  quickly  witli- 
drav^n,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it 
a  plate  filled  with  cold  bread  and  meat  was 
handed  to  each  of  the  hungry  blue-coats. 

"  I'se  mighty  sorry  I  aint  got  some  store 
coffee  for  you,  honey,"  said  one  of  the  women, 
who  by  virtue  of  her  age  and  position  took  it 
upon  herself  to  act  as  mistress  of  ceremonies. 
"  But  I  isn't  got  none." 

"We're  sorry  for  that,  aunty;  not  on  our 
account,  but  on  yours,"  said  one  of  the  sol- 
diers ;  "but  it  seems  to  me  that  you  white 
folks  ought  to  be  able  to  get  such  things  as 
coffee  out  here.  There  was  lots  of  trading 
going  on  with  country  people  when  we  left 
Baton  Rouge." 

"  We've  had  a  few  things  through  the  kind- 
ness of  my  employer,"  replied  Ned,  "  and  we 
hope  to  have  more  when  I  get  a  permit  to 
trade  myself.  Mr.  Gray  thought  it  wasn't 
best  to   trouble  the  provost  marshal  for  too 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  281 

many  permits,  for  fear  that  lie  would  sliut 
down  on  all  of  them." 

"  Well,  the  marshal  will  not  shut  down 
on  you,  nor  on  any  other  Union  man  whose 
name  we  have  on  our  list,"  said  the  soldier 
confidently.  "We  are  not  going  to  forget 
our  friends,  I  assure  you."  And  then  he 
almost  made  Ned  jump  out  of  his  chair  by 
adding:  "You  spoke  Mr,  Gray's  name  just 
now;  I  suppose  he  is  Rodney's  father,  isn't 
he?" 

"Yes,  he  is,"  cried  Ned.  "But  what  do 
you  know  about  him?" 

"Not  much,  that's  a  fact;  but  we  met 
Rodney  once  when  he  wasn't  at  all  glad  to 
see  us.  If  we  had  been  a  diflFerent  lot  we 
might  have  jDut  him  and  his  comrade  to  some 
trouble,  just  to  show  what  vigilant  scouts  we 
were." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  belonged 
to  the  squad  that  captured  Rodney  and  Dick 
Graham  a  few  days  ago  ? " 

"  We're  two  of  them,  and  the  others  are  in 
the  woods,  if  our  pursuers  haven't  found  and 
gobbled  them  up.     But  I  don't  think   they 


282  RODT^^EY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

have,  or  we'd  have  heard  the  sounds  of  the 
fight." 

"Well,  you'll  not  go  away  without  seeing 
Rodney  and  Dick,  will  you  ?  " 

"  That  depends,"  answered  the  soldier,  with 
a  smile.  "  We  are  not  on  a  i)leasure  trip  and 
can't  say  beforehand  just  what  we  will  do. 
The  first  thing  for  us  to  find  out  in  the  morn- 
ing is  whether  or  not  our  jiursuers  have  placed 
themselves  between  us  and  the  river.  If  they 
have,  it  might  be  well  for  us  to  remain  in  hid- 
ing a  few  hours,  and  give  them  time  to  get  out 
of  our  road.  But  if  they  are  still  behind  us, 
we  ought  to  push  on  without  loss  of  time.  I 
don't  suppose  those  two  rebs  would  go  back 
on  us  if  they  knew  where  we  were.  They  said 
they  wouldn't." 

''Rodney  and  Dick!"  exclaimed  Ned  in- 
dignantly. "While  they  were  in  the  army 
they  fought  you  Yanks  the  best  they  knew 
how  ;  but  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about 
when  I  say  that  you  haven't  better  friends  in 
your  regiment  or  comj)any  than  Rodney  Gray 
and  Dick  Graham." 

"I  believe  it,"   said  the  soldier  earnestly. 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONEES'    STORY.  283 

*'  We  are  not  afraid  to  trust  any  man  who 
met  us  in  open  battle  ;  but  tlie  Home  Guards 
we  are  afraid  of." 

"  You'd  better  be,"  exclaimed  Ned.  "  The 
most  of  them  are  sneaks  and  cowards,  and  dis- 
grace the  uniform  they  wear." 

"  I  believe  that,  too  ;  and  now  let  me  tell 
you  why  we  are  afraid  of  them.  When  we 
met  your  two  friends  Gray  and  Graham,  we 
belonged  to  a  squad  of  twenty  men  who 
were  under  orders  to  scour  the  country  be- 
tween the  river  and  Camp  Pinckney,  so  that 
we  could  give  timely  notice  to  General 
Williams  if  we  discovered  any  considerable 
body  of  Confederates  in  that  direction.  The 
general  has  information  that  the  enemy  is 
going  to  try  to  open  the  river  again,  and,  of 
course,  he  means  to  be  ready  for  any  rebs  who 
come  this  way.  After  we  told  Rodney  and 
his  chum  to  go  home  and  see  their  mammies, 
we  rejoined  our  command,  which  we  found 
about  three  miles  down  the  road,  and  reported 
that  we  hadn't  seen  any  graybacks  and  no 
signs  of  any  ;  and  the  very  next  day  we  were 
surprised  and  routed   by   a   mixed  body  of 


284        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

veterans  and  Home  Guards  wliicli  some  good 
rebel  had  put  on  our  track.  We  gave  them  a 
lively  fight,  but  they  were  too  many  for  us, 
and  those  of  us  who  were  not  killed  or  cap- 
tured were  scattered  far  and  wide. 

*' I. hadn't  much  of  an  idea  of  being  taken 
prisoner,  I  tell  you,  and  I  have  still  less  now. 
rd  rather  be  shot  and  have  done  with  it.  I 
had  talked  with  some  of  our  boys  who  had 
had  experience  as  captives,  and  the  stories 
they  told  were  enough  to  make  one's  hair  rise 
on  end.  They  did  not  have  a  word  of  fault  to 
find  with  the  rebel  soldiers,  who,  so  they  said, 
always  treated  them  well,  but  they  gave  it  to 
the  Home  Guards  good  and  strong,  and  de- 
clared that  in  future  they  would  slioot  every 
one  that  crossed  their  path.  I  could  easily 
tell  the  Home  Guards  from  the  soldiers  in  that 
fight,  both  by  their  dress  and  the  way  they 
behaved  under  fire  ;  and  when  I  saw  one  of 
our  boys  killed  after  he  had  given  up  his  gun, 
and  saw  that  there  was  no  possible  chance  for 
me  to  get  away,  I  just  avenged  the  death  of 
my  comrade  by  tumbling  that  Home  Guard 
out  of  his  saddle  with  the  last  cartridge  I  had, 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  285 

and  hunted  up  an  old  soldier  and  surrendered 
to  liiin.  My  three  comrades  did  the  same, 
and  that's  the  way  we  happen  to  be  alive  to- 
day. 

"  We  were  kept  with  the  main  body  about 
two  hours,  and  during  that  time  were  used 
like  white  men.  The  veterans  divided  their 
grub  with  us,  patted  us  on  the  back,  and  said 
we  were  good  fellows  for  driving  them  out  of 
Corinth  and  licking  them  on  the  river  as  we 
had  been  doing,  and  we  had  nothing  in  the 
world  to  complain  of  ;  but  I  tell  you  we  shook 
in  our  shoes  when  we  learned  that  nine  of  us 
prisoners  were  to  be  sent  to  Camp  Pinckney 
under  a  strong  escort  of  Home  Guards,  while 
the  soldiers  kept  to  the  road  to  hunt  for  more 
Yankees.  And  right  there  is  where  I  blame 
the  officer  in  command  of  the  Confederate  de- 
tachment," said  the  blue-coat,  now  beginning 
to  show  such  signs  of  anger  and  excitement 
that  Ned  Griffin  would  have  been  alarmed  if  he 
hadn't  known  that  his  loyalty  to  the  flag  was 
beyond  suspicion,  "and  if  he  ever  falls  into 
the  hands  of  my  regiment  he  will  have  cause  to 
regret  that  act  of  his.     He  knew  what  manner 


286  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

of  men  liis  Home  Guards  were — that  they  were, 
as  you  say,  sneaks  and  cowards,  that  they 
dared  not  go  to  the  front,  and  that  their  high- 
est ambition  was  to  shoot  a  Yankee  without 
running  the  risk  of  being  shot  themselves. 
But  he  told  us  to  go,  and  when  the  order  was 
given  for  us  to  fall  in,  we  had  to  obey  it. 
Well,  sir,  you  may  believe  it  or  not,  but  I  can 
prove  it,  we  hadn't  much  more  than  got  out  of 
sight  of  the  soldiers  before  those  Home  Guards 
began  laughing  and  joking  about  losing  us  on 
their  way  to  camp." 

"  Did  they  think  you  were  going  to  try  to 
escape  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  They  meant  that  they  were  going  to  shoot 
us,"  said  the  man  fiercely. 

Ned  and  his  mother  could  hardly  believe 
that  their  ears  were  not  deceiving  them. 

"Thank  goodness,  our  Home  Guards  are 
not  as  bad  as  that,"  said  the  former. 

"Have  they  ever  been  put  to  the  test?" 
demanded  the  fugitive.  "I  know  that  they 
have  fought  gunboats  and  defeated  some  de- 
tachments of  our  cavalry,  but  did  tliej^  ever 
have  a  Yankee  j)risoner  in  their  hands  ?" 


THE  ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.         287 

Ned  was  greatly  astonished  to  hear  that  the 
Mooreville  Home  Guards  had  been  in  action 
with  the  Federal  cavalry,  but  he  managed  to 
say  that  he  didn'  t  think  they  had  ever  taken 
a  prisoner.  Before  he  could  say  more  the  blue- 
coat  continued  : 

"I  shouldn't  like  to  fall  into  their  power, 
for  I  believe  they  would  make  short  work  of 
me.  The  men  who  had  been  detailed  to  take 
us  nine  prisoners  to  camp  came  from  the 
Pearl  River  bottoms,  and  looked,  acted,  and 
talked  more  like  heathen  than  any  men  I  ever 
saw  before.  Believing  that  we  did  not  under- 
stand their  jokes  about  losing  us  in  the  woods, 
they  talked  freely  among  themselves  until  we 
came  to  a  place  where  the  road  forked  ;  and 
there  they  separated  into  two  parties,  four  of 
their  number  taking  my  three  comrades  and 
myself  down  one  road,  while  the  rest  of  the 
escort  went  with  the  other  five  prisoners 
down  the  other  road. 

"Before  this  happened  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  wasn't  going  to  be  killed  by  those 
long-haired  Yahoos  if  I  could  help  it,  and  that 
act  of  separation  was  two  points  in  favor  of 


288  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tlie  plans  I  had  formed  in  my  mind.  It  gave 
me  as  companions  three  men  who  enlisted  at 
the  same  time  I  did,  who  had  served  in  my 
company  and  regiment  all  through  the  war, 
and  who  I  knew  could  be  depended  on  to  back 
me  up  in  anything  I  undertook,  and  it  gave  us 
four  the  smallest  escort,  the  main  body  having 
gone  down  the  other  road  with  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners.  And  I  hope  and  believe  that  those 
five  fellows  got  safely  into  camp,  for  the  men 
who  went  with  them  were  not  half  as  villain- 
ous or  blood-thirsty  as  those  who  guarded  us. 
To  show  you  what  sort  of  men  we  had  to  deal 
with,  one  of  them  remarked,  as  he  drew  a  big 
knife  from  his  boot  to  cut  off  a  chew  of  to- 
bacco, that  he  wouldn't  think  any  more  of 
sticking  that  knife  into  a  Yank  than  he  would 
of  putting  it  into  a  pig. 

"  I  have  been  in  some  tight  places  since  I 
joined  the  service,  but  I  don't  think  I  ever 
suffered  as  I  did  during  the  next  fifteen  min- 
utes. It  makes  me  sweat  now  to  think  of  it," 
continued  the  veteran  ;  and  as  he  spoke  he 
drew  his  crooked  finger  across  his  forehead 
and  threw  off  the  perspiration  which  Ned  saw 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  289 

had.  gathered  there  like  big  drops  of  rain. 
"Being  the  only  officer  there  was  in  our 
party — I  was  corporal,  you  know — my  fellows 
naturally  looked  to  me  to  do  something,  and  I 
was  fully  aware  of  it ;  for  I  knew  then  as  well 
as  I  do  now  that  they  had  one  and  all  deter- 
mined to  escape  from  those  Home  Guards  or 
die  in  the  attempt.  I  communicated  with 
each  of  them  by  making  the  best  use  of  my 
eyes  I  knew  how,  and  could  have  yelled  with 
delight  when  I  saw  that  I  made  them  under- 
stand me.  Each  of  us  selected  a  rebel  and 
kept  as  close  to  him  as  he  could  without  ex- 
citing suspicion.  I  was  impatient  to  get  to 
work,  for  I  didn't  know  how  soon  they  would 
begin  work  on  us,  but  I  was  afraid  to  do  any- 
thing until  I  thought  we  were  well  out  of  hear- 
ing of  the  party  that  had  taken  the  other  road. 
I  was  certain  that  there  would  be  some  shoot- 
ing done  during  the  fight,  and  did  not  want  to 
draw  their  attention  ;  but  when  I  could  stand 
it  no  longer  I  gave  a  yell,  and  floored  my  man 
as  easily  as  you  would  pitch  a  bundle  of  oats 
on  to  a  wagon.  I  had  him  out  of  his  saddle 
before  he  could  wink,  and  grabbed  his  carbine 

19 


290  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

just  in  time  to  help  Ben  here,  who  wasn't 
having  as  good  luck  as  I." 

"Did  you  kill  both  of  them?"  inquired 
Ned,  who  was  so  deeply  interested  in  the 
narrative  that  he  did  not  know  whether  he 
breathed  or  not. 

"We  laid  them  out,"  replied  the  veteran, 
"  and  as  we  were  in  something  of  a  hurry,  we 
didn't  wait  to  see  how  long  it  took  them  to 
come  to.  It  was  all  over  in  less  than  I  have 
taken  time  to  tell  it,  and  there  wasn't  a  shot 
fired  or  another  yell  raised.  The  fight  was 
carried  on  so  quietly  that  a  person  standing 
fifty  feet  away  would  not  have  heard  it.  We 
did  not  waste  any  precious  moments  in  con- 
gratulating one  another  on  our  good  fortune, 
but  carried  the  bodies  of  our  guards  into  the 
woods  out  of  sight,  dragged  some  brush  over 
one  or  two  little  j)Ools  of  blood  there  w^ere 
in  the  road  and  over  our  footprints,  thus 
concealing  all  traces  of  the  struggle  as 
best  we  could,  and  hitched  the  four  horses 
among  the  trees  w^here  they  would  have 
plenty  of  leaves  and  twigs  to  browse  on 
until     they    were     released ;     and    then    we 


THE  ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  291 

struck  out  for  the  bottom  the  best  we  knew 
how." 

"Whew!  you  have  had  a  time  of  it," 
said  Ned,  as  the  corporal  settled  back  in  his 
chair,  clasped  his  hands  over  his  knee,  and 
looked  at  his  empty  plate.  "Lucindy,  bring 
some  more  grub,  and  pile  on  all  the  plates  will 
hold.  When  did  you  first  become^aware  that 
the  dogs  were  on  your  trail  ?  " 

"We  found  it  out  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning,"  was  the  reply.  "Or  rather,  that 
was  the  time  we  learned  that  the  rebs  were 
going  to  use  hounds  to  follow  us  up.  We 
slept  in  the  woods  that  night  without  a  fire  or 
a  bite  to  eat,  and  at  daylight  set  out  to  find  a 
negro  cabin  ;  for  we  knew  that  the  darkeys 
would  befriend  us  if  they  could  do  so  without 
bringing  themselves  into  trouble.  We  came 
to  a  plantation  after  a  while,  and  crept  close 
enough  to  the  quarter  to  discover  a  negro 
working  about  one  of  the  corn -cribs.  We 
attracted  his  attention  without  much  trouble, 
but  as  soon  as  he  made  out  who  we  were,  he 
disappeared  so  suddenly  that  we  were  sorry 
we  did  not  shoot  him  on  sifflit,  for  we  were 


292  nODNEY,  THE  oveiiseer. 

certain  that  lie  meant  to  betray  us.  So  we 
made  a  little  detour  and  took  up  another  posi- 
tion in  the  field,  from  which  we  could  watch 
the  doors  of  the  great  house  ;  for  there  was 
where  we  knew  danger  would  come  from,  if 
it  came  at  all.  By  that  move  we  came  near 
losing  a  breakfast  and  missing  some  informa- 
tion that  was  of  use  to  us,  for  that  darkey  had 
no  intention  of  going  back  on  us.  He  slipped 
around  to  his  cabin,  gathered  up  everything 
he  had  in  the  way  of  grub,  and  spent  many 
valuable  minutes  in  hunting  us  up.  He  had  a 
story  to  tell  us,  but  was  so  badly  frightened 
tliat  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  make 
us  understand  that  the  news  of  our  escape 
had  reached  Camp  Pinckney,  that  all  the 
soldiers  and  Home  Guards  that  could  be 
spared  from  duty  there  had  been  sent  in  pur- 
suit of  us,  and  that  a  big  squad  of  men 
had  passed  the  house  before  daylight  that 
morning  vowing  that  they  would  never  take 
us  prisoners  if  they  found  us.  They  would 
shoot  us  in  our  tracks  to  pay  us  for  what  we 
had  done  to  their  comrades  back  there  in  the 
road." 


THE   ESCAPED   PRISONERS'    STORY.  293 

"Then  they  were  Home  Guards,"  Ned  inter- 
posed. 

"  Certainly  ;  and  that  threat  proved  it.  But 
that  was  not  by  any  means  the  worst  news  the 
darkey  had  to  tell  us,"  continued  the  cor- 
])oral,  placing  his  gun  on  the  floor  by  his  side, 
and  nodding  to  Lucindy  as  she  handed  him  a 
second  plateful  of  bread  and  meat.  "  And  the 
part  he  hadn't  yet  told  was  what  frightened 
him.  After  much  questioning  he  made  us 
understand  that  there  were  six  soldiers  in  the 
great  house  waiting  for  the  breakfast  that  the 
missus  had  promised  them  ;  and  when  they 
had  eaten  it,  they  were  going  down  the  road 
about  half  a  mile  after  a  pack  of  nigger  dogs 
that  were  to  be  put  on  our  trail.  And  then  he 
assured  us  that  if  those  dogs  ever  got  after 
us  we  would  be  gone  up  sure  ;  for  they  were 
smart  at  following  a  trail,  having  had  lots  of 
practice  in  running  down  the  unhappy  con- 
scripts who  escaped  from  Camp  Pinckney. 
That  was  bad  news  for  us,  as  I  said,  and  the 
question  at  once  arose,  Should  we  take  to  our 
heels  and  trust  to  luck,  or  would  it  be  a  better 
plan  to  rush  into  the  house  and  put  it  out  of 


294  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

the  power  of  the  rebels  to  go  after  those 
dogs?" 

"But  were  you  not  afraid  to  attack  them 
in  the  house  ? "  exckiimed  Ned.  "  There  were 
six  of  tlieni  and  only  four  of  you." 

"  A  small  difference  in  numbers  to  men  who 
are  working  for  life  and  liberty,"  answered 
the  corporal.  "We  talked  the  matter  over 
very  quickly  and  decided,  without  a  dissenting 
voice,  that  we  would  put  a  stop  to  that  hound 
business  before  it  had  gone  any  further.  We 
would  take  our  chances  on  surprising  the 
rebels  while  they  were  at  breakfast,  and  be 
governed  by  circumstances  when  we  found 
who  and  what  they  were.  If  they  were  regu- 
lar soldiers  we  would  simply  parole  them  and 
let  them  go  ;  but  if  they  turned  out  to  be 
Home  Guards " 

The  fugitive  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  but 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  looked  at  Ned  and 
his  mother  in  a:  way  that  had  a  volume  of 
meaning  in  it. 

"  It  did  not  take  us  many  seconds  to  deter- 
mine upon  a  plan  of  operations,"  he  continued, 
"and  then  we  crept  toward  the  house  under 


THE    ESCAPED    PRISONERS'    STORY.  295 

cover  of  the  bushes  and  outbuildings,  telling 
our  friendly  darkey  to  stay  where  he  was  till 
the  trouble  was  over,  and  no  one  should  ever 
hear  from  us  that  we  had  exchanged  a  word 
wnth  him.  Everything  was  in  our  favor. 
There  wasn't  a  servant  outside  the  house  to 
run  in  and  warn  the  inmates  that  we  were  com- 
ing, and  before  those  six  Johnnies  knew  that 
there  was  a  Yank  within  100  miles,  we  were 
in  the  breakfast  room  where  they  sat  at  the 
table,  and  had  them  covered." 

"  And  what  did  they  turn  out  to  be  ?  "  Ned 
almost  gasped. 

"  Regular  soldiers,  I  am  glad  to  say,  and  we 
were  saved  a  most  disagreeable  piece  of  busi- 
ness. We  told  them  they  were  in  a  trap,  and 
could  take  their  choice  between  going  to  the 
bone-yard  and  signing  a  parole  not  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  government  again  until  they 
were  regularly  exchanged,  and  they  thought 
they  had  better  sign  ;  and  it  didn't  take  them 
a  great  while  to  say  so,  either." 

"  Had  you  any  right  to  do  that  ? "  inquired 
Mrs.  Griffin. 

"Not  the  least  in  the  world,  madam,"  re- 


296  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

plied  tlie  corporal,  with  a  smile.  "But  as 
long  as  tlie  rebels  didn't  know  it,  what  was 
the  odds?  We  couldn't  take  them  with  ns, 
we  couldn't  shoot  them,  seeing  that  they  were 
not  Home  Guards,  and  yet  we  had  to  do  some- 
thing. All  we  really  hoped  to  accomplish  was 
to  frighten  them  off  our  trail  long  enough  to 
give  us  a  good  start  toward  the  swamp.  We 
knew  their  officers  would  tell  them  that  their 
parole  didn't  amount  to  a  row  of  pins,  but  by 
the  time  they  found  their  officers  we  might  be 
miles  away.  There  was  one  thing  we  were 
sorry  for,  and  that  was  that  they  did  not  have 
their  dogs  in  the  house  with  them.  They 
wouldn't  have  followed  any  more  escaped 
prisoners  when  we  got  through  with  them,  I 
assure  you." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A   HAIL   AT   THE  BAKS. 

ALTHOUaH  the  corporal  talked  rapidly, 
u~\.  lie  did  not  neglect  liis  supper,  and  by 
the  time  he  reached  this  point  in  his  story  his 
second  supply  of  bread  and  meat  was  all  gone. 
He  handed  back  the  empty  plate,  rested  his 
gun  across  his  knees  where  it  would  be  handy 
in  case  of  emergency,  and  drew  from  one  of 
the  pockets  of  his  ragged  blouse  something 
that  looked  like  a  small  bundle  of  brown 
wrapping  paper, 

"  Yes,  they  concluded  they'd  better  sign," 
said  he,  with  a  laugh,  '*  and  here  are  their 
paroles.  At  first  the  lady  of  the  house,  Avho 
was  disposed  to  be  impudent  and  sassy  until 
one  of  the  rebs  cautioned  her  that  it  might  be 
worse  for  them  if  she  didn't  keep  still,  de- 
clared that  she  had  nothing  at  all  in  the  way 
of  writing  materials  ;  but  when  one  of  the 
Johnnies  told  her,  with  some  impatience,  that 

297 


298  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

if  she  didn't  hand  them  out  we'd  be  likely 
to  go  through  her  shanty,  she  produced  the 
stump  of  a  pencil  and  some  paper  that  was  so 
rough  I  could  scarcely  write  on  it ;  but  I  made 
it  do,  and,  would  you  believe  it,  one  of  my 
boys  had  to  witness  their  signatures,  for  there 
wasn't  one  of  the  six  rebels  who  could  write 
his  name.  Of  course  we  disarmed  and  dis- 
mounted them,  and  stood  among  the  bushes 
in  the  front  yard  and  saw  them  make  tracks 
in  the  direction  of  Camp  Pinckney  ;  but  the 
hounds  were  put  on  our  trail,  all  the  same, 
and  the  next  day  they  pressed  us  so  close  that 
we  had  to  shoot  some  of  the  leading  ones. 
And  what  surx)rised  us  was  that  those  dogs 
would  not  attempt  to  follow  our  trail  across 
a  piece  of  wet  ground.  They  would  take  a 
circle  around  it  and  pick  up  our  trail  again  on 
the  other  side  where  the  ground  was  dry." 

"They'll  do  it  every  time,"  said  N'ed. 
"And  it  isn't  a  part  of  their  training,  either. 
That's  the  way  they  hunt  deer  and  foxes,  and 
it  is  something  they  pick  up  themselves  with- 
out any  teaching." 

"Well,   it's  x>i'*^tty  bright  in  the  dogs,  I 


A   HAIL   AT   THE   BARS.  299 

must  say,  and  we  were  sorry  to  slioot  them, 
but  tliere  was  no  help  for  it.  First  and  last 
we  must  have  killed  half  or  two-thirds  of  the 
pack,  but  they  have  been  strongly  reinforced  ; 
for,  judging  by  the  yelping  we  heard  to-day, 
there  are  more  hounds  on  our  trail  now  than 
there  were  at  the  start." 

"You  were  very  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
keep  out  of  their  way,"  said  Mrs.  Griffin, 
"and  I  don't  see  how  you  managed  it." 

"I  don't  either,  madam;  but  somehow  we 
did  it.  We  can't  keep  it  up  much  longer, 
however,  for  we  are  nearly  exhausted,  and  I 
wish  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  we 
were  in  sight  of  those  gunboats  at  this  minute. 
But  we'll  get  there  in  due  time,  and  we'll  not 
go  empty-handed.  We  made  an  important 
capture  this  afternoon,  and  perhaps  have  saved 
our  scouts  and  gunboats,  as  well  as  the  Union 
people  in  the  settlement,  some  trouble.  It's  a 
fortunate  thing  for  him  that  we  didn't  know 
what  he  was  when  we  first  caught  sight  of 
him  ;  but  as  he  was  in  full  uniform  we  sup- 
posed he  was  a  soldier  and  treated  him  ac- 
cordingly." 


300  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"And — and  what  was  he?"  faltered  I^ed, 
while  his  mother  looked  anxious  and  bent 
forward  in  her  chair  to  catch  the  corporal's 
answer.  Something  told  them  that  they  were 
about  to  hear  bad  news. 

"A  miserable  Home  Guard  and  a  captain 
besides,"  replied  the  soldier.  "  Of  course 
after  he  surrendered  we  couldn't  shoot  him 
down  in  cold  blood,  as  his  kind  would  have 
served  us  if  we  had  chanced  to  fall  into  their 
jwvver,  but  we'll  put  him  where  he'll  not  fight 
any  more  gunboats  for  one  while,  I  bet  you." 

"How  and  where  did  you  capture  him?" 
was  Ned's  next  question.  It  wasn't  the  one 
that  trembled  on  his  tongue,  but  it  was  as  near 
as  he  could  get  to  it. 

"Why,  Ave  had  been  wading  for  two  miles 
in  a  little  bayou  that  brought  us  through  a 
cornfield  to  the  river  side  of  the  road,  and  at 
last  we  hid  in  a  grove  of  evergreens  from 
which  we  could  command  a  view  in  all  direc- 
tions. We  staj^ed  there  for  an  hour,  listening 
to  the  faint  baying  of  the  hounds  in  the 
timber  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  and  never 
once  dreaming  that  anybody  would  come  near 


A   HAIL   AT   THE   BAUS.  301 

US,  when  to  our  surprise  we  saw  a  gate  ojjen, 
and  a  single  horseman  ride  down  the  lane  that 
led  straight  to  our  place  of  concealment,  I 
tell  you  we  were  scared,  for  we  expected  to 
see  the  dogs  and  all  our  pursuers  come  through 
the  gate  after  him,  but  he  stopped  to  pat  up 
the  bars  and  then  came  on  alone  ;  and  when 
he  approached  nearer  we  saw  that  he  could 
not  be  one  of  the  men  we  were  looking  for, 
because  his  horse  was  fresh  and  clean,  and 
didn't  have  the  splashed  legs  and  body  he 
would  if  he  had  been  chasing  us  through  the 
swamp  for  three  days  and  more.  We  saw, 
too,  that  he  and  his  horse  were  at  outs  about 
something,  for  every  once  in  a  while  he  would 
pound  the  animal  with  his  whip  as  if  he  were 
very  mad  at  him  ;  and  the  last  time  he  tried 
it,  which  he  did  when  he  was  within  less  than 
a  hundred  feet  of  our  hiding-place,  the  horse 
jumped  and  threw  him  as  slick  as  you  please, 
and  I  was  glad  of  it.  That  was  the  time  we 
rushed  out  and  took  him  in." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  his  name  ? "  inquired  Ned, 
and  the  words  seemed  to  force  themselves  out 
ao;ainst  his  will. 


302        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

"  Yes,  he  did  ;  and  we  think  it  strange  that 
General  Williams  hasn't  abolished  him  and  put 
a  stop  to  his  doings  long  ago.  But  none  of  us 
ever  heard  the  name  of  Captain  Randolph  be- 
fore.    You  know  him,  I  supi)ose  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  I  do  ;  and  I  know  that,  so  far  as 
fighting  is  concerned,  lie  is  the  most  harmless 
man  in  the  country.  Did  he  tell  you  that  his 
company  had  defeated  some  of  your  cavalry 
and  been  in  action  with  the  gunboats  1 " 

''He  certainly  did  tell  us  just  that,"  replied 
the  corporal ;  and  Ned  and  his  mother  thought 
he  looked  at  them  rather  sharply. 

"Well,  there  wasn't  a  word  of  truth  in  it," 
said  the  young  overseer  stoutly.  He  began  to 
have  a  vague  idea  that  he  was  injuring  himself 
in  the  estimation  of  these  two  Federals  by 
standing  up  for  Tom  Randolph,  but  he  had 
gone  too  far  to  back  out.  He  knew  that  Tom 
would  not  have  uttered  a  word  in  his  defence 
if  their  situations  had  been  reversed,  but  that 
made  no  difference  to  Ned  Griffin,  who  in  few 
words  gave  the  corporal  a  full  history  of 
Tom's  military  exploits.  The  occasional  raids 
through  the  settlement  that  Captain  Randolph 


A  HAIL  AT  THE  BARS.  303 

had  made  at  the  head  of  his  company  Ned  did 
not  regard  as  military  business,  for  their  sole 
purpose  was  to  intimidate  Union  men  and  in- 
crease Tom's  importance ;  so  he  said  nothing 
about  them. 

"  If  you  are  as  strongly  in  favor  of  the  Old 
Flag  as  I  have  been  led  to  believe,  I  don't  see 
what  your  object  is  in  saying  a  good  word  for 
this  Home  Guard,"  said  the  corporal  when 
Ned  ceased  speaking. 

"Wouldn't  you  say  a  word  for  an  old 
acquaintance  of  yours  if  you  saw  him  in 
trouble,  no  matter  whether  he  was  your  friend 
or  not?"  asked  Ned  in  reply.  "If  you  will 
give  me  time  I  can  prove  that  I  have  told  you 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  that  Tom  has  de- 
ceived you  from  beginning  to  end." 

"What  do  you  suppose  his  object  was  in 
doing  it?" 

"He  always  does  it  every  chance  he  gets. 
He  knows  he  will  never  win  a  reputation  by 
deeds  of  arms,  and  so  he  tries  to  win  it  with 
his  mouth.  He  never  did  you  Yankees  the 
least  harm,  and  he  never  will." 

"Don't  you  think  we  have  been  here  long 


304        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

enough,  Charley?"  Ben  asked  of  his  non- 
commissioned officer ;  and  he  answered  the 
question  himself  by  getting  upon  his  feet  as 
if  he  were  making  ready  to  leave.  He  was 
plainly  the  more  suspicious  of  the  two,  and 
showed  in  various  ways  that  he  didn't  have 
much  of  an  opinion  of  one  who  had  so  friendly 
a  feeling  for  a  Home  Guard. 

"We've  been  here  too  long,"  replied  the 
corporal.  "Our  friends  down  there  in  the 
woods  will  think  we  are  lost  or  have  been 
gobbled  up.  May  we  trespass  still  further 
on  your  good-nature  by  asking  for  a  bite 
for  our  absent  comrades?" 

"  Lucindy,  fill  up  the  biggest  basket  you 
can  find  in  the  house,"  said  Ned.  "  And  Ben, 
if  you  will  sit  down  a  minute  I  will  get  shoes 
and  stockings  for  you." 

"And  have  you  anything  in  the  way  of 
bedding?"  inquired  Mrs.  Griffin.  "The 
nights  are  cool,  if  the  days  are  sultry." 

No,  they  didn't  have  a  thing  exceiDt  their 
guns  and  the  dilax)idated  garments  they  stood 
in  ;  and  a  blanket  or  two,  if  Mrs.  Griffin  could 
spare  them,  would  protect  them  from  the  mos. 


A   HAIL   AT   THE   BARS.  305 

quitos  if  nothing  more  ;  for  of  coui'se  it  would 
be  dangerous  for  them  to  build  a  smudge  until 
they  knew  positively  that  their  pursuers  had 
been  left  behind.  Ben  was  profuse  in  his 
thanks,  and  suggested  that  No.  9's  would  be 
about  the  right  size  for  him  ;  and  Ned  went 
among  the  darkeys  to  find  them,  for  he  wore 
nothing  larger  than  6's,  and  couldn't  boast  of 
an  extra  pair  of  them.  Wlirle  he  was  gone 
his  mother  saw  the  basket  filled  and  the 
blankets  made  into  a  bundle,  and  also  found 
opportunity  to  say  a  word  for  Tom  Randolph. 

"What  do  you  intend  to  do  with  him?" 
she  asked. 

"Turn  him  over  to  the  i:)rovost  marshal  and 
have  him  sent  North,"  was  the  answer. 

"If  you  do  that  you  will  kill  his  mother, 
and  punish  a  man  who  is  as  innocent  of  any 
military  achievements  as  I  am,"  said  Mrs. 
Griffin.  "You  must  not  think  that  I  am  a 
friend  of  his — how  can  I  be  when  he  tried  his 
best  to  have  my  son  conscripted  ?  Why  can 
you  not  parole  him  and  let  him  go  ? " 

"  We  didn't  parole  those  six  rebels  for  fun, 
or  because  we  thought  the  parole  was  bind- 


306  RODlSrET,  THE   OVERSEEK. 

ing,"  said  the  corporal  with  a  smile,  "but 
simply  to  delay  them  until  we  could  get  a 
start.  If  we  turn  Randolph  loose,  it  will  be 
out  of  gratitude  to  you  and  your  son." 

"  Better  knock  him  in  the  head,"  growled 
Ben. 

"Don't  mind  him,"  said  the  corporal,  see- 
ing that  Mrs.  Griffin  was  shocked  by  the 
words.  "Ben  is  down  on  all  Home  Guards 
because  he  saw  one  of  them  shoot  his  chum." 

"  But  Tom  Randolph  was  in  no  way  to 
blame  for  that,"  answered  the  lady.  "  And  I 
know  that  Rodney  Gray  would  insist  upon 
his  release  if  he  were  here.  Promise  me  that 
you  will  let  him  go  ;  and  when  you  are  ready  to 
start  for  the  river,  Ned  shall  take  you  there 
by  the  shortest  and  easiest  course." 

The  corporal  oi:)ened  his  lips  to  reply  that 
he  did  not  think  it  best  to  make  any  promises 
until  he  could  consult  the  rest  of  his  iJarty, 
but  before  he  could  utter  a  word  an  incident 
happened  that  brought  him  aitd  Ben  to  their 
feet  in  a  twinkling,  and  drove  all  the  color 
from  Mrs.  Griffin's  face,  leaving  it  as  white  as 
a  sheet.     First  there  was  a  terrific  and  sudden 


A  HAIL   AT  THE   BARS.  307 

outburst  of  yelps  and  growls  from  the  small 
army  of  coon  dogs  that  found  a  home  on 
the  plantation,  and  then  answering  yelps  and 
.deep-toned  bays  came  from  the  direction  of 
the  front  bars,  mingled  with  the  shouts  of 
command  and  the  sharp  cracking  of  riding- 
whips.  There  was  a  second's  oppressive 
silence,  and  a  strange  voice  called  out : 

"Hal-lo,  the  house!" 

"Coming,  sir!  Get  out,  you  whelps!" 
shouted  Ned  Griffin's  voice  in  reply  ;  and  pres- 
ently the  frightened  inmates  of  the  house  heard 
him  running  around  the  corner  toward  the  bars. 
The  corporal  and  his  comrade,  who  stood  with 
their  guns  in  readiness,  seemingly  as  much  at 
their  ease  as  they  had  been  while  sitting 
quietly  in  their  chairs  eating  the  bread  and 
meat  that  had  been  provided  for  them,  looked 
inquiringly  at  Mrs.  Griffin. 

"They  are  strangers  and  have  hounds  with 
them,"  said  the  latter,  in  a  terrified  whisper. 
"  I  fear  the  worst,  but  Ned  will  do  what  he 
can." 

"I  certainly  hope  he  will  keep  them  out 
of  the  house,"  answered  the  corporal  calmly, 


308  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"  for  if  he  don't,  some  of  tliem  will  never  see 
the  sun  rise  again." 

Ned  Griffin,  who  had  had  no  trouble  at  all 
in  inducing  one  of  the  field  hands  to  hand  over 
a  pair  of  stockings  and  his  best  shoes  for  the 
benefit  of  the  bare-footed  soldier  in  the  house, 
was  almost  ready  to  drop  when  he  heard  that 
racket  at  the  front  bars,  but  he  answered  the 
hail  without  an  instant's  hesitation,  tossing 
the  stockings  and  shoes  into  the  nearest  bush, 
jml  ran  to  the  road,  knowing  that  he  w^ould 
meet  a  party  of  Confederate  soldiers  and  a 
pack  of  "nigger"  dogs  when  he  got  there; 
but  did  the  soldiers  know  or  suspect  that  the 
men  of  whom  thej^  were  in  pursuit  had  sought 
aid  and  comfort  in  that  house? 

"They  can't  know  it  or  suspect  it,  unless 
somebody  has  betrayed  us  ;  and  if  that  has 
happened  it  is  all  up  with  Ned  Griffin," 
thought  the  young  overseer  ;  and  Avhen  he 
reached  the  bars  and  caught  sight  of  the  party 
on  the  other  side,  he  did  not  feign  surprise, 
but  said,  as  any  other  honest,  hospitable 
boy  would  have  done:  "Alight  and  hitch. 
I    knew,  it  was    you    the    minute    I    heard 


A  HAIL   AT   THE  BARS.  309 

the  music  of  your  hounds.  Did  you  catch 
them?" 

"No,"  replied  one  of  the  men,  who  wore 
some  sort  of  insignia  on  his  collar  to  show 
that  he  was  an  officer.  "They  gave  us  the 
slip  about  eleven  o'clock  this  morning,  and  we 
haven't  been  able  to  find  their  tracks  since. 
But  we " 

"  Say  ! "  interrupted  Ned  suddenly. 
"  Please  don't  let  your  big  hounds  come  over 
the  fence  and  eat  up  my  pups.  I  need  them 
to  catch  wild  hogs  with  next  winter." 

That  was  very  true,  but  it  was  not  the  reason 
Ned  did  not  want  the  hounds  to  come  inside  the 
yard.  He  was  afraid  that  some  of  them  might 
go  foraging  on  their  own  hook;  and  if  they 
wandered  around  to  the  back  door  in  search 
of  something  to  eat,  they  could  not  help  strik- 
ing the  trail  the  two  escaped  prisoners  made 
when  they  entered  the  house.  They  would  be 
sure  to  recognize  it  on  the  instant  and  give 
tongue,  and  then  there  would  be  trouble 
indeed  ;  for  Ben  and  the  corporal  would  fight 
till  they  dropped  before  they  would  be  recap- 
tured.    And  then  what  would  be  done  to  him 


310  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  liis  mother  for  feeding  and  trying  to  con- 
ceal them  ?  But  the  hounds  were  thrashed 
and  scolded  back  into  the  road  and  the  officer 
continued  : 

"We  will  get  the  start  of  them  to-morrow. 
If  they  are  in  this  neighborhood  they  will  stay 
here,  for  we  are  going  to  place  ourselves  be- 
tween them  and  the  river.  But  we  were  well 
fed  and  rested  at  a  house  three  miles  back,  so 
we'll  not  alight,  thank  you.  Are  we  on  the 
road  to  Mooreville  ?  That's  what  I  called  yoii 
out  for." 

"Keep  straight  ahead,  and  you  can't  miss 
it,"  said  Ned.  "  And  if  you  want  to  go 
toward  the  Mississippi,  take  the  first  right- 
hand  road.  But  look  out  for  the  Yanks.  I 
haven't  seen  any  of  their  critter  fellers,  but 
there  may  be  fo:ne  between  here  and  Baton 
Rouge." 

"If  we  run  on  to  them  before  we  know  it, 
It  will  be  our  fault,  won't  it?  Good-night. 
Forward,  trot,  gallop  !  " 

The  young  overseer,  feeling  as  if  a  moun- 
tain had  been  removed  from  his  shoulders, 
stood  leaning  on  the  bars  until  the  sound  of 


A   HAIL   AT  THE   BAES.  311 

the  horses'  feet  had  died  away  in  the  distance, 
and  then  he  settled  himself  into  a  comfortable 
position,  drew  a  long  breath,  and  waited  fifteen 
minutes  longer  in  order  to  make  sure  that  the 
rebels  had  really  gone  on  toward  Mooreville. 
While  he  was  waiting  Csesar  came  up,  expect- 
ing to  receive  a  good  scolding,  and  perhaps 
something  worse,  for  neglect  of  duty. 

"  Sho's  you  live,  Marse  Ned,  I  watch  and 
wait  wid  all  my  eyes  and  ears,  and  dey  slip 
along  de  road  and  up  to  debars 'fore  I  knowed 
it,"  he  said  earnestly.  "You  know  ole 
CiBsar  aint  going  to  sleep  wid  two  Yankees  in 
de  house  and  rebels  all  around." 

"That's  all  right.  I  was  out  of  doors,  and 
didn't  know  they  were  at  the  bars  until  they 
hailed.  Now,  stay  right  here  and  see  that 
they  don't  steal  a  march  on  us.  If  you  hear 
the  slightest  sound  down  the  road  Mooreville 
way,  slip  into  the  house  and  let  me  know  it." 

Ned  went  back  to  the  bushes  where  he  left 
the  stockings  and  shoes,  and  when  he  carried 
them  into  the  house  he  found  no  one  there 
except  his  mother,  who  was  plying  her  needle 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.     The  two  fugi- 


312  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tives  bad  disappeared,  and  there  was  not  a 
darkey  to  be  seen. 

"  Open  that  door  and  you  will  find  them," 
said  Mrs.  Griffin,  when  Ned  stopped  and 
looked  all  around.  "They  thought  they 
would  rather  fight  it  out  downstairs  than 
in  the  garret,  for  they  would  have  a  better 
chance  to  run." 

"They  can't  go  any  farther  to-night,  for 
their  pursuers  are  riding  hard  to  get  between 
them  and  the  river,  and  may  send  the  hounds 
into  the  woods  at  any  time.  And  I  am  glad 
of  it,"  whispered  Ned.  "I'd  like  to  keep 
them  until  I  can  go  for  Rodney.  Perhaps  he 
can  do  something  for  Tom  Randolph.  Why, 
mother,  did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  lunatic  ? 
If  he  gets  out  of  this  scrape  I  don't  think  he'll 
ever  let  his  tongue  bring  him  into  another." 

Ned  pushed  open  the  door,  and  the  two 
escaped  prisoners  came  out.  In  few  words 
they  were  made  acquainted  with  the  result  of 
the  interview  that  had  taken  place  at  the  bars, 
and  Ned  and  his  mother  did  not  wonder  that 
it  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  them.  After 
racing  through  the  almost  impassable  woods 


A  HAIL   AT   THE  BARS.  313 

and  swamps  until  they  were  ready  to  drop 
with  fatigue,  it  certainly  was  disheartening 
to  know  that  the  enemy  had  come  so  close  to 
them  when  they  imagined  themselves  safe  for 
the  night.  They  decided  that  they  had  better 
return  to  their  companions  at  once  and  talk 
the  situation  over  with  them. 

"All  right,"  said  Ned.  "I  will  go  with 
you,  for  I  want  to  see  what  Tom  Randolph 
has  to  say  for  himself.  If  you  will  take  my 
advice,  you  will  stay  pretty  close  about  this 
plantation  until  you  have  seen  Rodney  Gray. 
He  can  do  more  for  you  than  almost  anybody 
else  in  tliese  parts,  and  if  you  get  into  trouble 
you'll  find  it  so." 

The  blankets  and  the  basket  of  provisions 
were  brought  from  the  room  in  which  they 
had  been  hastily  concealed,  and  the  fugitives 
lingered  a  moment  to  shake  hands  with  Mrs. 
Griffin  and  tell  her  how  grateful  they  were 
for  the  generous  treatment  they  had  received 
at  her  hands  and  her  son's. 

"  There  is  one  way  in  which  you  can  show 
it,"  replied  Ned's  mother,  "and  that  is  by  re- 
leasing your  prisoner." 


314  KODNEY,  THE   OVEESEER. 

"  But,  madam,  we  liave  no  right  to  do  it," 
said  Ben,  who  was  inclined  to  put  more  faith 
in  Tom's  story  of  his  exploits  than  he  did 
in  Ned's.  It  was  natural,  under  the  circum- 
stances, for  him  to  believe  that  Ned's  regard 
for  the  truth  was  not  so  strong  as  his  desire  to 
shield  an  old  acquaintance.  "  We  are  bound 
to  take  him  before  our  colonel  and  state  the 
case  to  him  ;  and  if  lie  has  a  mind  to  let  him 
go — why,  all  right." 

"Haven't  you  the  same  riglit  to  release 
Tom  Randolph  that  you  had  to  release  Rod- 
ney Gray  and  his  friend?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Griffin.  "You  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
take  them  before  an  officer?" 

"Perhai)S  I  did  stretch  my  authority  just 
a  little,"  said  the  corporal,  coming  to  Ben's 
assistance.  "But  ahnost  any  non-com.,  who 
wanted  to  be  half  white,  would  have  done  the 
eame  thing.  Rodney  and  Graham  had  dis- 
ci) arges  in  their  pockets,  while  this  man  Ran- 
dolph holds  a  commission  as  captain  of  Home 
Guards  at  this  minute.  But  we'll  tell  tlie 
boys  what  you  have  done  for  us,  Mrs.  Griffin, 
and  let  them  decide  the  matter.     I  hope   it 


A  HAIL   AT  THE   BARS.  315 

may  be  our  good  fortune  to  meet  again  under 
pleasanter  circumstances.     Good-night." 

Ned  led  the  way  from  the  house  and  along 
the  lane  that  ran  through  the  negro  quarter  to 
the  woods,  in  which  the  corporal's  two  com- 
rades and  their  prisoner  were  impatiently 
awaiting  their  return.  They  moved  silently 
and  without  exchanging  a  word  above  a 
whisper,  but  the  dark-skinned  inmates  of  the 
cabins  seemed  to  be  on  the  watch.  One  door 
after  another  was  softly  opened,  and  sup- 
pressed voices,  that  were  rendered  husky  by 
emotion,  cheered  them  with  such  expressions 
as  : 

"  Lawd  bress  Marse  Linkum's  sojer  boys  ! 
Youse  boun'  to  whop  de  rebels,  honey ;  I 
know  you  is,  kase  Ise  praying  for  you  free 
times  a  day,  like  Dan'l  in  de  lion's  den." 

"I  certainly  hope  you'll  not  get  into  any 
trouble  through  what  you  have  done  for  us 
to-night,"  said  hard-hearted  Ben,  who  was 
moved  in  spite  of  himself  by  these  expres- 
sions of  sympathy. 

"  So  far  as  I  know,  our  blacks  are  all  loyal," 
answered  Ned,  "but  it  won't  do  to  trust  some 


316  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEE. 

negroes  too  far,  any  more  than  it  will  do  to 
trust  some  white  people  ;  and  when  we  are 
in  the  presence  of  Tom  Randolph  I  wish  you 
would  be  careful  not  to " 

He  stopped  suddenly,  but  it  was  too  late. 
He  had  committed  himself.  As  he  afterward 
told  his  friend  Rodney,  he  came  near  ruining 
everything  before  he  thought  what  he  was 
doing. 

"There  you  have  it!"  exclaimed  Ben 
angrily.  "Why  do  you  try  to  befriend  tliat 
man  Randolph,  when  you  dare  not  trust  him 
for  fear  that  he  will  set  your  rebel  neighbors 
against  you  ?  He  shall  never  go  free  with  my 
consent,  and  that  is  a  word  with  a  bark  on  it." 

"Or  are  you  afraid  that  he  will  get  his 
Home  Guards  together  and  burn  you  out,  to 
pay  you  for  what  you  have  done  for  us  Yan- 
kees ? "  said  the  corporal.  "I  don't  believe 
there's  a  Home  Guard  in  the  world  that  will 
do  to  tie  to,  and  I  think  the  best  thing  we  can 
do  is  to  hold  fast  to  that  felloAv,  If  he's  done  us 
half  the  damage  he  says  he  has,  he  is  a  prize." 

Ned's  common  sense  told  him  that  words 
would  not  rectify   the  big  mistake    he  had 


A  HAIL  AT  THE  BAES.  317 

made,  so  lie  dropped  Tom  Randolph  entirely, 
and  talked  of  the  hounds  and  the  risk  his  Yan- 
kee friends  would  incur  if  they  tried  to  make 
their  way  to  the  Mississippi  through  the  com- 
paratively open  country  that  lay  before  them. 
There  were  not  woods  enough  to  conceal  their 
movements  ;  the  people  along  the  route  were 
mostly  rebels,  and  they  could  hardly  help 
meeting  someone  who  would  put  their  pur- 
suers on  their  track  if  he  saw  half  a  chance. 
What  they  needed  more  than  anything  else 
during  the  rest  of  their  journey  was  a  guide 
known  to  be  a  good  Confederate,  but  friendly 
enough  to  Yanks  to  help  them  out  of  trouble 
if  they  got  into  it.  The  two  fugitives  did  not 
think  they  were  likely  to  fall  into  such  trouble 
as  Ned  hinted  at,  but  the  next  day  they  were 
obliged  to  confess  that  he  knew  what  he  was 
talking  about. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  fence  that 
ran  across  the  end  of  the  lane  and  shut  it  off 
from  the  woods,  and  there  Ben  and  the  cor- 
poral stopi)ed  as  if  expecting  something.  It 
came  presently  in  the  shape  of  the  challenge 
given  in  low  tones  : 


318  RODISrEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"  Who  comes  there  ?  " 

"  Friends  with  the  countersign,"  replied  the 
corporal. 

"  Halt,  friends.  Advance  one  with  the 
countersign,  and  have  your  head  blown  off  if 
you  don't  give  it  right,"  continued  the  voice  ; 
and  although  the  words  seemed  to  be  spoken 
in  a  jest,  Ben  and  Ned  remained  by  the  fence 
while  the  corporal  climbed  over  it  and  disap- 
peared in  the  bushes.  A  moment  afterward 
he  called  to  them  to  come  on,  and  when  Ned 
joined  him  he  knew  that  he  was  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  other  two  fugitives  and  Tom  Ran- 
dolph. It  was  made  plain  to  him  at  once  that 
Tom  had  sent  the  corporal  and  his  comrade  to 
the  house  with  the  assurance  that  they  would 
find  Union  people  there  and  plenty  to  eat,  for 
Tom  said : 

"Did  you  find  Griffin?" 

"They  not  only  found  me,  but  brought  me 
here  to  see  you,"  said  Ned,  answering  for 
himself,  and  working  his  way  slowly  through 
the  dark  in  the  direction  from  which  Tom's 
voice  came.  "  And  I  am  sorry  to  find  you  in 
this  fix." 


A  HAIL   AT  THE  BARS.  319 

Captain  Randolph  may  have  borne  np 
bravely  enough  while  he  was  alone  with  his 
captors,  but  the  sound  of  a  familiar  voice  and 
the  warm  grasp  of  Ned's  hand  unnerved  him 
completely.  He  drew  the  young  overseer  to 
a  seat  on  a  log  beside  him,  rested  his  head 
against  his  shoulder,  and  shook  as  if  he  had 
the  ague  ;  but  whether  it  was  with  fear,  or 
with  the  violence  of  the  struggle  he  was  mak- 
ing to  keep  up  the  character  he  had  so  fool- 
ishly assumed,  Ned  could  not  tell.  There  had 
been  a  time  when  Tom  Randolph  would  have 
been  ashamed  to  rest  his  head  against  an 
overseer's  shoulder;  but  he  was  pretty  well 
humbled  now.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that 
Ned  was  allowed  a  few  minutes'  talk  with 
Tom,  the  soldiers  being  busy  with  their  own 
affairs — two  of  them  in  describing  what  had 
happened  at  the  house,  and  the  others  in  dis- 
posing of  the  contents  of  the  provision  basket. 

"Tom,"  said  Ned,  "you  never  told  these 
Yankees  that  you  had  whipped  their  cavalry 
and  fought  the  gunboats." 

"Yes,  I  did,"  answered  the  captive;  and 
the  overseer  was  not  much  surprised  to  notice 


320  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

that  liis  voice  was  choked  with  sobs.  "  I  took 
them  for  brave  men,  and  thought  they  would 
extend  a  brave  man's  treatment  to  me  if  they 
knew  me  to  be  a  loyal  soldier  of  the  Con- 
federacy." 

"Well,  do  you  know  that  yon  have  got 
yourself  in  a  scrape  that  may  end  in  your 
being  sent  to  a  Northern  prison?" 

"Oh,  don't  tell  me  that,"  gasped  Tom. 
"  That's  what  they  have  been  threatening  me 
with,  and  you  must  make  them  let  me  go. 
You  can  do  it^  for  you  are  known  to  be  Union, 
and  my  father  will  reward  you  beyond " 

"  And  you  are  not  a  loyal  soldier  of  the 
Confederacy,"  continued  Ned,  who  wasn't  be- 
friending Tom  in  the  hope  of  making  any- 
thing out  of  it.  "You  are  nothing  but  a 
Home  Guard ;  and  these  men  have  reason  to 
hate  Home  Guards." 

"  I  know  it,"  groaned  Tom.  "  But  am  I  to 
blame  for  anything  those  Pearl  River  heathen 
did  to  them  ?  You  are  my  only  hope,  Ned, 
and  you'll  have  to  get  me  out  of  this.  You 
must." 

"There's  no  must  about  it.      I  have  said 


A    HAIL   AT   THE   BARS.  321 

everything  I  could,  and  so  lias  mother.  Your 
only  hope  is  Rodney  Gray." 

"Then  send  for  him,"  said  Tom  nervously. 
"  Send  for  him  at  once,  and  say  that  if  he  will 
stand  by  me  now,  he  can  command  me  and  my 
father  ever  afterward.  I  wish  the  men  who 
are  responsible  for  this  war  were  here  in  my 
place  and  sentenced  to  be  shot  at  sunrise.  I 
have  been  deceived  and  badgered  ever  since 
I  sided  with  the  Confederacy  ;  I've  stuck  by 
her  throngh  thick  and  thin,  while  those  who 
deserted  her  at  the  first  sign  of  disaster  are 
hail-fellows  well  met  with  the  Yanks  in  Baton 
Rouge,  and  live  on  the  best  the  land  affords. 
They  have  salt  and  tea  and  coffee  in  their 
houses,  and  white  flour ;  and  we  have  none. 
You  must  help  me  out,  Ned." 

Tom  Randolph  continued  to  talk  in  this 
rambling  way  until  the  corporal  interrupted 
him  with : 

"Well,  boys,  we  have  decided  to  stay  here 
to-night." 

"And  will  you  let  Griffin  go  for  Rodney 
Gray  the  first  thing  in  the  morning?"  ex- 
claimed Tom. 

21 


^99 


RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 


"Griffin  isn't  a  prisoner,  and  can  go  and 
come  as  he  likes,"  replied  the  non-commis- 
sioned officer  indifferently.  "It's  a  matter 
that  concerns  you  more  than  it  does  us.  If 
Griffin  has  a  mind  to  go  or  send  for  Rodney 
Gray,  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  him." 

"These  are  the  Yanks  who  captured  Rod- 
ney and  Graham  while  they  were  on  their  way 
home,"  whispered  Ned.  "  That's  why  I  say 
that  Rodney  can  help  you  if  anybody  can." 
Then,  without  giving  Tom  a  chance  to  express 
his  surprise,  he  said  aloud  :  "  What's  the  use, 
Yanks,  of  staying  here  all  night  in  the  dark 
and  cold  ?  If  you  will  come  to  the  quarter, 
I  will  give  you  a  tight  cabin  and  a  bright  fire 
to  cheer  you  up." 

The  offer  was  a  tempting  one  to  men  situ- 
ated as  they  were,  but  after  a  short  consulta- 
tion with-his  comrades  the  corporal  thought 
they  had  better  not  accept  it ;  they  would 
feel  safer  and  sleep  more  soundly  right  there 
in  the  woods.  Then  Ned  suggested  that  they 
should  wrap  themselves  in  the  blankets  and 
get  what  rest  they  could  while  he  stood  guard, 
and  to  his  surj)rise  and  Tom  Randolph's  un- 


A   HAIL   AT   THE   BARS.  328 

bounded  delight,  the  proposition  was  accepted 
without  an  instant's  hesitation.  To  keep  up 
appearances  Tom  took  the  blanket  that  was 
passed  to  him  and  rolled  himselJ!  up  in  it ;  but 
he  had  no  intention  of  going  to  sleep.  He  had 
another  idea  in  his  head,  and  it  was  just  about 
as  foolish  as  his  notion  of  trying  to  pass  him- 
self off  for  a  soldier  when  he  was  nothing  but 
a  Home  Guard. 

"Good-night,  Johnny;  and  many  thanks 
for  that  grub  and  this  warm  blanket,"  said 
one  of  the  escaped  prisoners  who  had  not 
spoken  before. 

"  Good-night,  Yank,  and  welcome,"  replied 
Ned.     "  But  I  am  not  a  Johnny." 

"And  neither  am  I  a  Yank,"  said  the 
soldier.  "  I  came  from  Michigan.  But  good- 
night." 

After  that  silence  reigned  in  that  dark,  lone- 
some camp  for  the  space  of  half  an  hour.  The 
soldiers  were  weary  and  sank  into  a  deep 
slumber  almost  as  soon  as  they  had  adjusted 
their  blankets  to  suit  them  ;  but  Tom  Ran- 
dolph was  wide  awake.  He  curbed  his  impa- 
tience until  the  heavy  breathing  of  his  captors 


324  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

told  him  that  they  were  in  a  state  of  nncon- 
scioiisness,  and  then  said  cautiously  : 

"  Ned,  Ned !     Have  you  got  a  gun  ?  " 

"  No.  What  do  I  want  of  a  gun  ?  "  was  the 
answer. 

"Where  are  they?" 

"Wrapped  up  in  the  blankets  with  the 
soldiers,  most  likely." 

"Well,  say,  Ned;  look  here,"  whispered 
Tom  coaxingly. 

"It's  no  use,  for  I  can't  do  it,"  replied  Ned, 
who  knew  what  the  captive  was  about  to  say. 
"You  don't  show  your  usual  good  sense  in 
asking  it  of  me,  either." 

"  But  you  could  drop  asleep,  couldn't  you, 
and  let  me  crawl  away  ?  " 

"I  could,  but  I  won't.  I'm  not  going  to 
get  myself  into  a  scrape  by  going  back  on 
these  Yanks.     They'd  shoot  me." 

"But  you  might  go  with  me,"  suggested 
Tom,  who  was  almost  ready  to  shed  tears  again. 

"And  leave  Mr.  Gray's  property  to  be  de- 
stroyed? "  demanded  Ned.  "  I  said  I'd  keep 
guard,  and  I've  got  to  do  it." 

"  Well,  you  have  been  weighed  and  found 


A    HAIL   AT   THE   BARS.  325 

wanting,"  said  Tom  desperately.  "I  know 
just  what  you  are  now,  bnt  I  was  foolish 
enough  to  think  you  were  a  friend' of  mine." 

"You  didn't  thinit  anything  of  the  sort. 
You  knew  better,"  said  Ned ;  and  after  that 
he  relapsed  into  silence.  He  had  proved  that 
he  was  ready  to  assist  Tom  in  any  way  he 
could,  but  he  wasn't  going  to  arouse  Ben's 
rage  and  the  corporal's  by  permitting  him  to 
steal  away  in  the  darkness.  It  was  the  most 
senseless  proposition  he  had  ever  heard  of,  and 
he  was  glad  that  Tom  did  not  tronble  him  with 
it  again.  The  latter  lay  so  quiet  that  his 
guard  thought  he  was  asleep,  but  he  wasn't. 
He  was  trying  to  think  up  some  way  to  get 
even  with  Ned. 

Althongh  the  overseer  was  not  at  all  drowsy, 
the  exciting  events  of  the  last  few  hours  hav- 
ing banished  slumber,  he  passed  a  dreary 
night  on  his  log,  leaning  against  a  tree,  and 
listening  for  the  first  far-off  baying  of  the 
hounds,  which  would  announce  that  the  pur- 
suit had  been  renewed.  But  the  hours  dragged 
themselves  away  without  disturbance  of  auj^ 
kind,  and  at   daylight  the  corporal  threw  off 


326  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

liis  blanket  and  sat  np.  He  felt  like  a  new  man 
after  his  refreshing  sleep,  and  that  was  what 
all  his  comrades  said  when  they  were  aroused. 
Then  a  short  consultation  was  held,  and  Ned 
posted  off  to  the  house  with  the  emj)ty  basket. 
It  was  full  of  eatables  when  he  returned  an 
hour  later,  to  learn  that  during  his  absence  the 
fugitives  had  decided  that  Tom  Randolph's 
story  was  more  worthy  of  belief  than  his  own. 

"It  doesn't  stand  to  reason  that  a  man 
would  tell  such  damaging  things  about  him- 
self just  for  fun,"  said  the  corporal,  who 
spoke  for  all  his  companions.  "He  was  as 
defiant  as  you  please  when  we  captured  him, 
and  I  believe " 

"  But  I  told  you  a  pack  of  lies  ;  I  did  indeed,", 
cried  Tom,  hiding  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"We  don't  believe  it,"  answered  the  sol- 
dier. "  Your  weakening  is  all  put  on,  because 
you  have  learned  that  it  isn't  such  a  funny 
thing  to  be  a  prisoner  as  you  thought  it  w^as. 
And  even  if  you  did  lie  to  us,  you  are  a  Home 
Guard,  and  that  is  against  you.  If  you 
haven't  done  any  mean  things  it's  because  you 
haven't  had  the  chance." 


A    HAIL    AT   THE   BARS.  327 

To  Tom  Randolph's  rage  and  disgust  Ned 
did  liot  try  to  combat  this  decision.  He  sim- 
ply said  : 

"All  right;  just  as  you  say.  Keep  a  stiff 
upper  lii^,  Tom,  and  I  will  go  and  get  Rod- 
ney." 

This  was  the  substance  of  the  story  that  Ned 
Griffin  told  while  he  was  sitting  in  Mrs.  Gray's 
dining  room  on  the  morning  of  which  we  have 
sjjoken.  Of  course  he  did  not  tell  it  exactly 
as  we  have  tried  to,  but  he  told  enough  to  give 
his  auditors  a  clear  idea  of  what  had  happened 
on  his  plantation  the  night  before.  They 
heard  him  through  without  interruption,  and 
when  his  narrative  was  ended  they  settled 
back  in  their  chairs  and  looked  at  one  another. 
There  was  one  thought  uppermost  in  their 
minds  :  those  escaped  prisoners  deserved  their 
freedom  after  working  so  hard  for  it,  even  if 
they  were  Lincoln  hirelings  ;  and  Rodney  must 
see  them  safe  to  the  river.  As  to  Tom  Ran- 
dolph— they  did  not  waste  much  sympathy  on 
him,  but  they  were  sorry  for  his  mother.  Tom 
took  just  such  chances  as  these  when  he  put 
on  his  gray  uniform. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CAPTAIN  TOM  SHOWS  HIS  GKATITUDE. 

WHEN  Ned  Griffin  brought  liis  exciting 
narrative  to  a  close  Mrs.  Gray  beckoned 
him  to  a  seat  at  the  table  and  gave  him  a  cup 
of  coffee,  while  Rodney  sent  one  of  the  girls 
to  his  room  after  a  couple  of  overcoats,  and 
Rosebud  to  the  stable  to  see  the  saddle  put  on 
his  horse  and  Dick's.  He  was  elated  over  the 
prospect  of  doing  even  a  little  to  help  the 
Federal  soldiers  who  had  shown  themselves  so 
friendly  to  himself  and  his  chum,  and  deter- 
mined that  Tom  Randolx)li  should  not  go  to  a 
Northern  prison  if  he  could  prevent  it.  Tom 
was  an  old  acquaintance  and  a  near  neighbor, 
and  that  meant  a  good  deal  to  Rodney  Gray. 
Ned  was  a  little  apprehensive  that  his  em- 
ployer might  not  be  altogether  pleased  with 
what  he  had  done,  but  to  his  relief  Mr.  Gray 
did  not  have  a  word  of  fault  to  find. 

"Rodney  seems  to  have  made  up  his  mind 

338 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      329 

to  help  those  Yankees  through,"  said  he,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  the  overseer,  "and  I  need 
not  tell  you  that  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you 
do  anything  you  can  to  aid  him  and  them. 
As  to  Tom — it  looks  now  as  though  he  would 
have  to  stand  punishment  for  his  foolishness." 

"And  how  about  me?"  said  Rodney.  "It 
looks  as  though  I  was  planning  to  get  myself 
into  trouble.  If  I  help  the  Yankees,  my  Con- 
federate neighbors  will  be  down  on  me  ;  and  if 
I  help  Tom,  they'll  all  be  down  on  me — rebels 
and  Union." 

"  Hovv  are  the  neighbors  going  to  find  it 
out?"  inquired  Dick. 

"Oh,  Tom  will  tell  them,"  said  Rodney 
carelessly. 

"  And  are  you  going  to  help  a  man  who  will 
turn  around  and  blab  it  on  purpose  to  bring 
you  into  trouble?"  exclaimed  Dick.  "I 
should  think  his  gratitude " 

"Gratitude  is  the  rarest  sentiment  in  the 
world,  my  dear  boy,  as  you  Avill  learn  long  be- 
fore your  head  is  as  white  as  mine.  He'll  do 
me  a  mean  turn  the  first  good  chance  he  gets. 
That's  the  kind  of  a  chap  he  is.     Have  you 


330  llODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

got  your  discliarge  in  your  pocket  ?  All  right. 
I  don't  know  when  you  will  see  us  again," 
said  Rodney,  when  the  overcoats  made  their 
appearance  and  the  horses  were  bronght  to  the 
door,  "but  when  we  return  we  hope  to  have 
some  better  fitting  clothes  than  these,  and  a 
pass  from  the  provost  marshal.  So,  mother, 
if  you  have  any  cnrrency  that  you  can  spare 
I  shall  be  glad  to  have  some." 

These  last  words  were  whispered  into  the 
ear  of  his  mother,  who  led  him  to  her  room, 
where  she  kept  a  small  store  of  specie  for  an 
emergency.  Where  the  rest  was  Rodney  did 
not  know  or  care  to  inquire.  It  was  enough 
for  him  that  he  could  get  a  few  pieces  as  often 
as  he  found  it  necessary  to  ask  for  them. 

"Now,  do  be  careful,"  pleaded  his  mother. 
"Suppose  the  hounds  strike  your  trail  in 
spite  of  all  you  can  do  to  prevent  it,  and  the 
soldiers  with  them  find  you  and  Dick  in  the 
company  of  the  escaped  j^risoners  !  Your  dis- 
cliarges  would  not  save  you." 

"Don't  cross  a  bridge  till  you  come  to  it, 
mother,"  answered  Rodney,  who  had  thought 
of  all  this  while  Ned  Grifiin  was  telling  his 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS    HIS   GRATITUDE.       331 

stoi'3\  "We  are  not  going  into  any  danger. 
Good-by." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boys  were  riding  post- 
haste toward  Ned's  plantation.  They  reined 
up  to  the  house  and  turned  their  horses  over 
to  a  darkey  as  any  casual  visitors  would  have 
done,  for  Ned  told  them  that  the  rest  of  their 
journey  must  be  made  on  foot  and  under  cover 
of  bushes  and  fences. 

"There's  no  telling  who  may  be  on  the 
watch,"  said  he,  "or  whether  all  our  blacks 
are  as  loyal  as  they  pretend  to  be.  And, 
boys,  don't  say  a  word  in  Tom's  hearing 
about  showing  the  Yanks  the  way  to  the  river. 
He'll  take  it  for  granted,  of  course,  that  some- 
body is  going  to  do  it,  but  we'll  -make  it  hard 
for  him  to  prove  it  on  any  of  us." 

Rodney  did  not  waste  manj^  minutes  in  com- 
paring notes  with  Mrs.  Griffin  (he  already 
knew  everything  she  could  have  told  him),  but 
threw  his  overcoat  across  his  arm  and  mo- 
tioned to  Ned  to  go  ahead  with  the  basketful 
of  things  that  had  been  provided  for  the  fugi- 
tives' dinner.  It  took  them  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  to  reach  the  edge  of  the  woods,  so 


332        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER, 

slow  and  cautious  were  tliey  in  tlieir  move- 
ments, and  they  found  two  of  the  sokliers  at 
the  fence  waiting  for  them.  Rodney  and 
Dick  recognized  them  on  the  instant,  and 
shook  hands  with  them  through  the  fence  as 
cordially  as  though  they  had  always  been  the 
warmest  of  friends. 

"  Say,"  whispered,  Rodney,  as  soon  as  the 
greeting  was  over.  "  Call  up  the  corporal  and 
the  other  Yank,  I  have  a  few  words  to  say  to 
you  that  I  don't  want  your  prisoner  to  hear." 

"Are  you  afraid  of  him,  too?"  asked  one 
of  the  soldiers.  "Then  I  can't  understand 
why  you  are  so  anxious  to  have  iiira  go  free, 
-We  can't  leave  him  in  camp  alone,  for  if  Ave 
do  he'll  run  off." 

"  He  hasn't  the  pluck  to  try  it,"  said  Ned, 
passing  his  basket  over  the  fence.  "  But  I'll 
stay  with  him.  You  are  not  afraid  to  trust 
me,  I  suppose,  after  allowing  me  to  stand 
guard  over  him  all  night." 

But  Ned  hadn't  told  of  the  astounding 
proposition  Tom  made  while  he  was  standing 
guard  over  him.  That  was  something  he  kept 
to  himself  until  he  told  his  story  in  Mrs, 


CAPTAIN-  TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      333 

Gray's  dining  room.  He  climbed  the  fence 
and  disappeared  in  the  woods,  and  presently 
the  corporal  and  the  "other  Yank"  came  up. 

"  If  anyone  had  told  me  that  I'd  ever  shake 
hands  with  a  rebel  in  this  friendly  way,  I 
should  have  said  he  didn't  know  what  he  was 
talking  about,"  said  the  corporal.  "  Johnny, 
how  are  you  by  this  time?  You  and  your 
chum  must  have  got  safe  home  or  else  you 
wouldn't  be  here.  You  know  our  story,  of 
course,  so  there's  no  need  of  telling  it  over 
again." 

"No  need  and  no  time,"  replied  Rodney, 
"for  you  ought  to  be  jogging  along  now. 
You've  an  open  and  dangerous  country  be- 
fore you,  and  very  likely  every  man  in  it  is 
on  the  lookout  for  you." 

"That's  about  what  Griffin  said  to  us  last 
night,"  replied  the  cori)oral.  "We  asked 
him  to  act  as  our  guide,  but  he  thinks  you 
can  be  of  more  use  to  us." 

"I  don't  know  about  that  ;  but  I  will  do 
my  best  on  one  condition." 

Of  course  the  soldiers  knew  Avhat  that  con- 
dition was,  but  listened  patiently  while  Rod- 


334        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

ney  went  on  to  tell  them  that  they  never  made 
a  greater  mistake  in  their  lives  than  they  did 
vi^hen  they  put  faith  in  Tom  Randolph's  story 
and  rejected  Ned  Griffin's.  He  urged  them  to 
release  Tom  without  any  more  nonsense,  and 
hinted  that  the  sooner  they  complied  with 
his  request,  the  sooner  he  would  be  ready  to 
start  with  them  for  Baton  Rouge.  He  also 
added : 

"  If  you  are  bound  to  take  Tom  with  you  I 
can't  go,  and  you'll  have  to  do  the  best  you 
can  for  yourselves.  He'd  find  means  to  let 
my  rebel  neighbors  hear  of  it,  and  then  I'd 
have  to  go  among  the  Yanks  or  back  to  the 
army  ;  for  I  couldn't  live  here.  What  do  you 
say?" 

"What  do  you  say,  boys?"  inquired  the 
corporal,  turning  to  his  companions.  "He's 
a  Home  Guard,  and  a  mighty  mean  one,  too, 
judging  by " 

"  None  of  that,  please,"  Rodney  interposed. 
"Having  submitted  the  case,  you  have  no 
business  to  keep  on  arguing  it.  Yes  or  no, 
.Yanks?" 

"  I  wish  we  had  knocked  him  on  the  head 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      335 

before  we  took  liim  prisoner,"  said  Ben,  who 
could  not  forget  his  lost  comrade. 

"But  you  didn't,  and  you  can't  very  well 
do  it  now,"  replied  Rodney.  "  Are  you  going 
to  let  him  go  or  not  ?  " 

Ben  did  not  answer  ;  but  his  three  com- 
panions gave  a  favorable,  though  very  re- 
luctant response  to  Rodney's  question,  and 
the  latter  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  Ben 
looked  and'acted  ugly,  and  if  he  had  been  a 
little  better  talker  Tom  Randolph's  chances 
for  liberty  and  life  would  have  been  slim  in- 
deed. As  Dick  Graham  afterw^ard  explained 
it,  Tom  was  saved  by  Ben's  want  of  gab. 
Rodney's  next  care  was  to  urge  upon  the 
soldiers  the  necessity  of  sending  Tom  about 
his  business  with  the  least  possible  delay,  and 
of  being  careful  to  drop  no  word  in  his  hear- 
ing that  would  give  him  a  hint  of  their  future 
movements.  Tom  would  make  all  sorts  of 
promises,  but  they  must  not  put  the  least  faith 
in  them,  for  if  he  saw  an  opportunity  to  do 
it,  he  would  put  a  squad  on  their  trail  in 
less  than  an  hour.  This  done,  he  and  Dick 
climbed  the  fence  and  followed  the  soldiers 


336  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

toward  the  camp.  Ned  Griffin  had  had  time 
to  prepare  Tom  for  Rodney's  coming,  and  the 
expression  Rodney's  face  wore  when  he  ap- 
peared in  sight  prepared  him  for  the  good 
news. 

"  You  have  prevailed  upon  them  to  release 
me  and  I  know  it,"  he  exclaimed,  seizing  one 
of  Rodney's  hands  in  both  his  own  and  shaking 
it  with  all  his  might,  "  And  I'll  never  forget 
you  for  it  ;  never  in  this  world.  It  you  want 
anything,  all  you've  got  to  do  is  to  say  the 
word,  and  if  I've  got  it  you  shall  have  it. 
And  as  for  you  soldiers — I'll  cook  up  some 
sort  of  a  story  when  I  reach  home  that  will 
stop  all  pursuit  till  you  have  had  time  to 
reach  the  Union  lines.  I  am  very  grateful  to 
you,  and  will  prove  it  by  pulling  off  my  gray 
suit  as  soon  as  I  get  home.  If  all  Yanks  are 
like  you,  I  am  not  going  to  fight  any  more 
during  the  war." 

Tom  was  sure  he  saw  a  faint  prospect  of 
escape  before  him,  and  his  joy  was  so  great 
that  it  choked  his  utterance.  He  continued 
to  rattle  on  in  this  way,  until  the  corporal 
interrupted  him  with  : 


CAPTAIN  TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      337 

"That's  all  riglit,  Johnny.  So  long  as  you 
keep  the  hounds  off  our  trail,  it's  all  the  re- 
turn we  ask  for  setting  you  at  liberty." 

"Then  you  are  going  to  release  me,  aint 
you  ?  "  cried  Tom. 

"I  don't  suppose  such  a  thing  was  ever 
done  before,"  said  the  corporal  hesitatingly. 
"And  I  don't  know  what  the  boys  will  say  to 
me  when  they  hear  of  it ;  but  I " 

"That  don't  make  any  difference,  Mr. 
Soldier.  You  just  tell  me  to  go  home,  and  I 
will  keep  the  hounds  off  your  trail." 

"Well — git!"  said  the  corporal.  "You 
will  find  your  sword  and  revolver  back  there 
in  the  grove  where  we  hid  them  yesterday." 

Tom  lost  no  time  in  grasping  the  corporal's 
hand  and  shaking'  it  with  all  his  strength — a 
proceeding  to  which  the  boy  in  blue  submitted 
with  very  bad  grace.  He  felt  more  like  giving 
his  late  captive  a  kick,  and  so  did  his  com- 
rades ;  but  they  let  him  shake  their  hands  in- 
stead— all  except  Ben,  who  put  his  hands  into 
his  pockets  and  turned  away  when  Tom  ap- 
proached him.  Captain  Randolph  would  have 
persisted  in  his  efforts  to  take  leave  of  him 

22 


338  KODNEY,  THE   OVEESEEE. 

also,  had  he  not  been  warned  by  a  look  from 
Rodney  that  he  had  better  stop  his  nonsense 
and  get  away  while  the  Federals  were  in  the 
humor  to  let  him  go.  Acting  upon  the  hint, 
he  turned  away  from  Ben  and  disappeared  in 
the  direction  of  the  fence. 

"  If  I  am  any  proi:)het  that  snrly  Yank  will 
see  the  time  when  he'll  wish  he  had  not  turned 
his  back  on  me  in  that  style,"  soliloquized 
Tom,  when  he  found  himself  safe  in  the  lane. 
"I'll  square  accounts  with  him  and  with  Rod- 
ney and  Dick  at  the  same  time.  And  Ned 
Griffin,  too.  I  might  have  given  those  Yanks 
the  slip  last  night,  if  he  had  been  friendly 
enough  to  fall  asleep  as  I  wanted  him  to  do  ; 
but  he  wouldn't,  and  now  he  will  see  how  I 
will  pay  him  for  it." 

Tom  sped  along  the  lane  as  if  he  had  been 
furnished  witli  wings,  through  the  negro  quar- 
ter and  up  to  the  door  of  the  plantation  house, 
where  Ned's  mother  was  waiting  for  him.  She 
had  moved  her  low  rocking  chair  to  that  door, 
and  had  been  waiting  there  ever  since  she  saw 
Rodney  Gray  and  his  two  companions  disap- 
pear in  the  woods  at  the  end  of  the  lane  ;  for 


CAPTAIN"   TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      339 

she  felt  the  keenest  anxiety  for  Tom,  and  won- 
dered what  his  mother  Avould  do  if  Rodney 
failed  in  his  efforts  to  have  him  released. 

"0  Tom,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,"  she  ex- 
claimed, as  soon  as  the  captain  of  the  Home 
Guards  came  within  speaking  distance. 

"  I  am  a  free  man  once  more,  Mrs.  GrifSn," 
replied  Tom  loftily,  "and  it  is  a  fortunate 
thing  for  some  people  whose  names  I  could 
mention.  If  I  had  been  kept  a  prisoner,  my 
Home  Guards  would  have  made  sad  work  in 
this  settlement.  I'll  thank  you  to  lend  me  a 
horse.  I  want  to  reach  home  as  soon  as  I  can, 
in  order  to  relieve  my  mother's  anxiety." 

And  this  was  all  he  had  to  say  to  the  woman 
who  had  done  more  than  anybody  else  to  keep 
him  out  of  prison.  By  her  kindness  and  gen- 
erosity she  had  won  the  gratitude  of  Tom's 
captors  and  made  it  comparatively  easy  for 
Rodney  to  effect  his  release  ;  and  although 
Tom  did  not  know  this,  he  did  know  that  Ned 
had  done  his  best  for  him,  and  one  would 
think  he  might  have  had  a  civil  word  for  N'ed's 
mother.  Instead  of  that  he  hinted  darkly 
at  some  things  he  knew  about  "some  people 


340        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

whose  names  he  could  mention,"  and  Mrs. 
Griffin  knew  that  that  was  the  same  thing  as  a 
threat.  She  replied  that  she  did  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  lend  Ned's  saddle-horse  without  say- 
ing a  word  to  him  about  it,  but  Tom  could 
have  a  mule  if  he  wanted  it ;  and  with  the 
words  she  went  into  the  house,  leaving  Cap- 
tain Randolph  to  stand  alone  at  the  door  until 
the  mule  was  brought  up. 

"This  is  another  insult  I  shall  have  to  re- 
member against  the  Griffins,"  thought  Tom, 
running  his  eye  over  the  ill-conditioned  ani- 
mal that  was  finally  led  to  the  door.  "Now, 
how  shall  I  manage  to  have  those  escaped  pris- 
oners captured  with  the  least  possible  delay  ? 
If  they  could  be  taken  now,  Rodney  and  Dick 
and  Ned  would  be  taken  with  them  ;  but  I 
don't  know  whether  I  want  that  to  happen  or 
not.  If  it  should  get  noised  abroad  that  they 
were  captured  with  my  help,  or  through  infor- 
mation furnished  by  me,  I'd  have  everybody 
in  the  settlement  down  on  me  ;  and  goodness 
knows  I've  got  enemies  enough  already." 

This  was  a  matter  requiring  thought ;  and  in 
order  that  he  might  have  plenty  of  leisure  to 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS   IIIS   GRATITUDE.      341 

devote  to  it,  Captain  Tom  allowed  his  mule  to 
walk  every  step  of  the  five  miles  that  lay  be- 
tween the  plantation  and  Moore ville.  He  rode 
past  Mr.  Grray's  house  without  stopping,  and 
in  due  time  drew  rein  in  front  of  Kimberly's 
store,  to  find  the  usual  number  of  lazy  Home 
Guards  loitering  about  there  doing  nothing. 
They  were  surprised  to  see  him,  for  the  news 
of  his  sudden  and  mysterious  disappearance 
had  been  spread  all  through  the  settlement. 
His  father,  who  had  spent  half  the  night  rid- 
ing about  in  search  of  him,  pretended  to  believe 
that  Tom  had  fallen  in  with  the  soldiers  from 
Camp  Pinckney  and  joined  them  in  pursuit  of 
the  escaped  Yankees  ;  but  there  wasn't  a  man 
in  the  country  who  didn't  laugh  at  the  idea  as 
soon  as  he  heard  of  it.  More  than  that,  there 
wasn't  a  single  member  of  the  Home  Guards 
who  had  made  an  earnest  effort  to  trace  the 
fugitives.  The  most  of  them  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  Tom's  order  to  turn  out,  and  those  who 
did,  returned  to  their  homes  as  soon  as  they 
learned  that  the  Yankees  were  armed. 

"Why,  cap'n,  where  in  the  wide  world  did 
you  drop  from?"  exclaimed  Lieutenant  Lam- 


342  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

bert,  as  Tom  Randolph  rolled  off  Ills  mule  in 
front  of  the  store.  "Have  you  been  after 
them  Yanks  ?    Your  pap  said  you  had." 

Tom  walked  into  the  recruiting  office  and 
met  Captain  Roach,  who  began  to  tell  him  how 
his  unexplained  absence  had  frightened  his 
mother ;  but  the  commander  of  the  Home 
Guards  interrupted  him  without  ceremony. 

"Before  I  tell  you  anything  about  myself," 
said  he,  turning  to  the  eager  Home  Guards 
who  had  followed  him  into  the  office,  "  I 
want  to  know  how  many  of  you  men  would 
like  to  win  fame,  and  jDerhaps  promotion,  by 
capturing  the  four  Yankees  who  are  roaming 
about  the  country,  shooting  our  comrades 
down  in  cold  blood." 

"I  would,  for  one,"  replied  Lambert 
promptly. 

"And  me!"  "And  me!"  "And  here 
too !  "  chimed  in  the  others  ;  and  they  threw 
so  much  earnestness  into  their  words,  and 
seemed  so  impatient  to  learn  how  the  feat 
could  be  accomplished,  that  a  stranger  would 
have  thought  they  really  meant  to  do  some- 
thins. 


CAPTAIN  TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      343 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  patriotic,"  said 
Captain  Tom.  "And  the  way  for  you  to 
prove  your  words  is  to — you  know  where  Ned 
Griffin  lives  now,  don't  you  ?  Well,  go  down 
there  at  once,  and  you  will  find  the  men  you 
want  at  the  foot  of  his  lane." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  "  demanded  Cap- 
tain Roach. 

"Because  I  left  them  there  not  more  than — 
I  mean  when  I  escaped  from  them  last  night," 
answered  Tom,  who,  now  that  the  danger  was 
past,  would  not  have  sold  his  experience 
for  any  reasonable  sum  of  money.  "You 
don't  believe  it,  do  you?  Well,  it  is  a  fact 
that  I  have  been  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of 
those  very  men,  and  narrowly  escaped  bein(j 
shot." 

"But  how  did  you  get  away  from  them  ?  " 
continued  the  enrolling  officer, 

"  I  knocked  one  of  them  down  with  the  butt 
of  his  own  musket  and  took  to  my  heels  ;  that's 
the  way  I  did  it." 

This  was  going  too  far,  and  Captain  Tom  was 
quick  to  perceive  it.  Some  of  his  men  ex- 
changed sly  winks  with  each  other,  and  turned 


344  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

toward  the  door  as  if  they  had  heard  quite 
enough  of  such  stories  as  that,  while  Captain 
Roach,  who  had  put  a  little  faith  in  Tom's 
tale  at  first,  sat  down  in  his  chair  and  pulled 
some  papers  toward  him. 

"Continue  to  report  regularly  every  day," 
said  he,  addressing  himself  to  Lambert ;  "I 
have  received  no  official  notice  that  Camp 
Pinckney  is  ready  to  take  conscripts,  but  all 
the  same  I  know  it  is  ready,  and  an  order  to 
send  out  a  squad  may  come  any  hour." 

"That's  a  polite  way  of  calling  me  a  liar," 
said  Tom  to  himself.  "I  know  where  I  can 
find  those  who  will  take  some  interest  in  what 
I  have  to  say ;  and  if  I  don't  go  there  and  drop 
a  bomb  into  this  camp  that  will  scatter  it  far 
and  wide,  I'm  a  Dutchman." 

He  was  too  angry  to  say  anything  aloud. 
He  looked  hard  at  Captain  Roach  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  went  out  to  the  hitching  rack 
where  he  had  left  his  mule,  the  Home  Guards 
dividing  right  and  left,  and  making  no  remark 
as  he  passed  through  their  ranks.  He  went 
home  with  all  the  speed  he  could  induce  his 
long-eared  beast  to  put  forth,  and  the  recej)- 


CAPTAIN  TOM  SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      345 

tion  he  met  when  he  got  there  almost  made 
amends  for  the  deliberate  slight  that  had  been 
put  upon  him  in  the  enrolling  office ;  but  the 
best  part  of  the  story  he  intended  to  tell  was 
knocked  in  the  head  by  the  first  words  his 
mother  said  to  him.  He  was  going  to  describe 
a  terrific  battle  he  had  had  with  the  escaped 
prisoners  somewhere  in  the  woods  ;  but  his 
mother  cried,  as  she  ran  down  the  steps  and 
clasped  him  in  her  arms  : 

"O  Tom!  Where  have  you  been?  And 
how  came  your  horse  hitched  out  there  in  the 
grove  ?" 

Captain  Randolph  had  forgotten  all  about 
his  horse,  and  just  then  he  wished  that  one  of 
the  Yankees  had  put  a  bullet  through  the 
animal's  head  instead  of  tying  him  among  the 
evergreens.  Then  he  could  have  said  that  he 
did  not  surrender  without  a  fight,  and  the 
dead  horse  would  have  proved  it. 

"Some  of  the  neighbors  heard  him  calling 
as  they  were  riding  along  the  road,  and  went 
in  and  brought  him  home  ;  but  they  saw  no 
signs  of  you,"  continued  Mrs.  Randolph, 
looking  hard  at  Tom  as  if  to  assure  herself 


346        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

that  lie  was  all  there.  "You  don't  know  how 
frightened  we  all  were.  The  first  thing  I 
thought  of  was  those  dreadful  Yankees,  and  I 
was  afraid  you  might  have  fallen  into  their 
hands." 

"And  that's  just  what  happened  to  me," 
replied  Tom.  "  I  was  a  prisoner  in  less  than 
an  hour  after  I  left  you  yesterday ;  but  I 
made  something  of  a  fight  before  they  took 
me.  I  think  I  know  where  my  revolver  is — 
I  threw  it  into  the  bushes  rather  than  give  it 
up  to  the  enemy." 

"Oh,  you  reckless  boy,  how  could  you  do 
it?"  exclaimed  his  mother.  "Come  right  in 
and  go  to  bed." 

"  And  when  you  see  that  revolver  you  will 
notice  that  tliere  isn't  a  single  cartridge  left  in 
it,"  added  Captain  Tom,  as  he  followed  his 
mother  up  the  steps.  "I  threw  away  my 
sword,  too,  but  think  I  can  find  it  again.  I 
didn't  surrender,  mind  you.  I  w^as  captured 
at  the  muzzle  of  four  loaded  muskets." 

"You  dear  boy!  And  how  did  you  get 
away  from  them?" 

"I   waited   until    they   went  to   sleep  last 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      347 

niglit.  Of  course  they  left  one  of  their  num- 
ber to  guard  me,  but  a  Yankee  is  no  match 
for  a  gentleman  when  it  comes  to  a  fight.  I 
just  knocked  him  down  and  cleared  out." 

"And  wasn't  you  hurt  a  bit  ?  Didn't  they 
try  to  stop  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  they  tried  to  stop  me,  and  the 
way  the  bullets  flew  was  a  caution  ;  but  the 
niglit  was  dark,  the  bushes  thick,  and  I  escaped 
without  a  scratch." 

This  was  only  the  introduction  to  the  long 
story  Tom  had  to  tell,  and  although  there  was 
scarcely  a  word  of  truth  in  it  from  beginning 
to  end,  his  doting  mother  believed  it  all.  His 
father  looked  slightly  incredulous  when  Tom 
told  how  he  had  laid  around  in  the  woods  for 
long  hours  while  the  Yankees  were  searching 
high  and  low  to  find  him,  for  his  boots  and 
clothing  did  not  bear  out  his  thrilling  narra- 
tive. They  were  dusty,  of  course,  but  not  at 
all  torn  and  mussed,  as  they  ought  to  have 
been  If  the  wearer  had  had  such  a  time  work- 
ing his  way  out  of  the  woods.  But  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph was  so  overjoyed  to  see  Tom  back  safe 
and  sound  that  he  said  nothino;  about  it. 


348  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"Now,  my  son,  you  must  quit  the  Home 
Guards  at  once  and  stay  right  here  on  the 
plantation,"  said  Mrs.  Randolph,  when  she 
had  asked  her  hero  all  the  questions  she  could 
think  of.  "When  you  are  a  private  citizen 
you  will  not  be  called  upon  to  assist  in  captur- 
ing desperadoes." 

"  I've  done  the  very  best  I  could  for  the 
South  ever  since  I  joined  my  fortunes  with 
hers,"  answered  Captain  Tom  ;  "I  have  risked 
life  and  liberty  in  her  defence  more  than  once, 
and  am  ready  to  do  it  again  ;  but  I  can't  fight 
the  whole  Yankee  nation  alone  and  unaided." 

"  Certainly  not,"  assented  his  mother. 

"  I  was  the  only  one  of  the  company  who 
had  the  pluck  to  face  those  desperate  men  in 
the  woods,"  continued  Tom,  "  and  was  cap- 
tured for  my  pains.  I  ordered  my  men  out 
to  help  me,  but  they  never  came.  They  left 
me  to  meet  the  danger  alone  ;  and  when  I 
dropped  into  the  enrolling  office  on  my  way 
home,  they  were  loafing  as  usual  and  brag- 
ging too.  And  when  I  told  them  right  where 
they  would  find  those  Yanks,  and  tried  to  get 
them  to  go  out  and  capture  them,  do  you  sup- 


CAPTAIN  TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      349 

pose  tliey  would  go  ?  They  just  as  good  as 
told  me  that  they  did  not  believe  me,  and 
Roach  broke  in  on  my  story  by  giving  orders 
directly  to  Lambert  instead  of  passing  them 
to  him  through  me.  I  have  put  up  with  that 
man  just  as  long  as  I  am  going  to  ;  and,  father, 
if  you  will  pay  Larkin  oil  and  let  him  go,  I'll 
be  ready  to  take  his  place  to-morrow  morning. 
And  now  I'll  write  to  the  Governor  the  very 
first  thing  I  do." 

This  letter  to  the  Governor,  tendering  his 
resignation  as  captain  of  State  troops,  was  the 
"bomb"  with  which  Tom  had  threatened  to 
"  scatter  Captain  Roach's  camp  far  and  wide," 
but  when  he  sat  down  to  write  it,  the  thought 
occurred  to  him  that  if  he  said  too  much  the 
letter  might  operate  like  a  boomerang,  and 
hurt  him  more  than  he  hoped  to  hurt  Captain 
Roach.  If  he  had  written  it  as  he  had  it 
framed  in  his  mind,  it  would  have  been  a 
complete  and  scathing  indictment  of  the  en- 
rolling officer's  way  of  doing  business  ;  but 
the  letter  he  showed  his  mother,  when  she 
came  to  his  room  in  response  to  his  call,  read 
something  like  this : 


350  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

I  have  the  honor  to  tender  herewith  my  resignation  as 
captain  of  the  State  militia  which  was  granted  me  on 
the  — th  day  of  April  last,  with  authority  to  raise  and 
command  a  company  of  mounted  men  for  home  defence. 

I  have  long  been  of  opinion  that  partisan  organiza- 
tions are  not  what  we  need  in  this  hour  of  our  country's 
peril,  and  now  I  am  satisfied  of  it.  Our  best  men  long 
ago  went  to  the  front  voluntarily,  leaving  behind  them 
a  rabble  who  cannot  possibly  be  made  into  soldiers.  Tlie 
men  under  my  command  were  selected  with  the  greatest 
care,  but  I  am  obliged  to  say  that  they  are  fit  for  nothing 
but  guard  duty  at  Camp  Pincknej'.  If  they  were  ordered 
there  in  a  body,  to  take  the  place  of  "better  men  who  could 
be  sent  to  the  front,  it  would  be  a  relief  to  the  com- 
munity. For  myself  I  have  other  ideas,  which  I  shall 
proceed  to  carry  out  as  soon  as  I  receive  notice  that  my 
resignation  has  been  accepted. 

"That  is  nothing  but  the  truth,"  said  Mrs. 
Randolph,  after  she  had  read  the  letter. 
"But,  Tom,  I  am  afraid  it  will  get  you  into 
trouble." 

"  I  don*1}  see  how,"  was  the  reply.  "You 
don't  suppose  that  the  Governor  will  bring 
it  down  here,  show  it  to  such  fellows  as  Lam- 
bert and  Moseley  and  the  rest,  and  ask  them 
what  they  think  of  it ;  do  you?  He  has  other 
fish  to  fry." 

"  But  suppose  he  should  ask  you  what  your 
other  ideas  are,"  said  his  mother. 


CAPTAIN   TOM   SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE.      351 

"There's  no  danger  of  that.  If  the  Gover- 
nor thinks  that  my  chief  reason  for  resigning 
is  because  I  want  to  go  to  the  front,  well  and 
good.  I  am  not  to  blame  for  what  he  thinks. 
I  have  other  ideas,  and  that's  a  fact ;  and  one 
of  them  is  to  see  the  men  who  winked  and 
nudged  one  another  to-day  when  I  was  trying 
to  put  a  little  courage  into  them,  sent  where 
they  will  be  held  with  their  noses  close  to  the 
grindstone.  Now  I'll  ride  down  and  mail  this, 
and  when  the  acceptance  comes  Til  tell  Roach 
what  I  have  done." 

"That  reminds  me  that  the  mail  carrier  had 
a  race  with  a  squad  of  Yankee  cavalry  yester- 
day," said  Mrs.  Randolph. 

"Great  Scott!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "Have 
they  come  as  close  as  that  to  Mooreville  ? 
They  are  bound  to  get  here  sooner  or  later, 
but  I  hope  they'll  stay  away  a  week  longer, 
for  then  I  shall  be  a  free  man." 

And  Captain  Tom  might  have  added  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  see  the  Federals  at  the  end 
of  a  week,  provided  he  received  a  favorable 
answer  from  the  Governor  in  that  time. 
When  the  Home  Guards  were  ordered  away 


352  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

to  do  duty  at  Camp  Pinckney  he  would  con- 
sider his  account  with  them  settled  ;  and  the 
other  old  scores — there  were  four  of  them 
now — could  be  attended  to  at  some  future 
time. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE. 

WHEN"  Captain  Randolph  was  done  with 
his  leave-taking  he  hastened  away  as 
if  he  feared  that  the  escaped  prisoners  might 
change  their  minds  and  call  him  back.  He 
was  out  of  sight  in  an  instant,  and  when  he 
was  out  of  hearing  Rodney  Gray  said  : 

"  Now  we  must  git  ourselves.  I  don't  know 
what  sort  of  a  story  Tom  will  tell  when  he 
gets  home,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  will 
make  himself  out  a  very  brave  fellow,  and 
urge  his  men  to  take  up  our  trail  at  once." 

"You  needn't  trouble  yourself  about  the 
Home  Guards,"  said  Ned. 

"I  don't;  but  if  those  same  Home  Guards 
should  chance  to  stumble  upon  the  soldiers 
from  Camp  Pinckney,  we'd  have  something 
to  trouble  ourselves  about,  wouldn't  we  ?  So 
I  say  we  had  better  move  away  from  here. 
Pick  up  that  basket,  somebody  ;  and  Ned,  you 

23  353 


354  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

take  care  of  the  quilts,  for  we'll  not  need 
them.  We  shall  lie  by  during  the  day-time 
and  travel  at  night.  You  haven't  heard  the 
last  of  this  morning's  work,  Ned,  and  neither 
have  I." 

"  If  that  Home  Guard  gets  you  into  trouble 
after  what  you  have  done  for  him,  find  means 
to  let  the  — til  Michigan  cavalry  know  it ;  and 
the  Urst  time  we  scout  through  here  we'll  pay 
our  respects  to  him,"  said  Ben  hotly.  "If 
it  hadn't  been  for  Griffin's  mother,  Captain 
Randolph  would  have  gone  to  a  Northern 
stockade  as  sure  as  he  is  a  living  man." 

"I'll  bear  that  in  mind,"  replied  Ned. 
"Good-by,  boys.     So-long,  Yanks." 

"May  the  best  of  good  luck  always  attend 
you,  Johnny,"  said  the  fugitives  in  concert. 

This  parting  would  have  disgusted  Captain 
Randolph  if  he  had  been  there  to  witness  it, 
and  might  have  led  him  to  say:  "This  is 
another  insult  that  I've  got  to  remember 
against  the  Griffin  family,"  for  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  friendly  feeling  manifested  on 
both  sides.  Surly  Ben  did  not  turn  his  back 
this  time,  but  held  fast  to  Ned  with  one  hand, 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  355 

while  lie  pointed  to  the  shoes  he  wore,  with  the 
other,  and  said : 

"If  I  get  away  I  shall  have  you  to  thank 
for  it.  I  couldn't  have  walked  a  mile  with 
my  feet  on  the  ground  as  they  were  when  you 
took  pity  on  me  last  night.  If  I  can  ever  re- 
pay you  I  will." 

' '  You  have  repaid  me  a  hundred  times  over 
by  letting  Rodney  and  Dick  go  free  when 
you  captured  them  a  few  days  ago.  So-long, 
Yanks." 

"Fall  in,"  said  Rodney.  "Good-by,  Ned. 
I  wish  you  would  make  it  your  business  to 
tell  mother  that  you  saw  us  safely  off." 

Ned  began  to  roll  up  the  quilts,  the  corporal 
shouldered  the  basket  containing  the  pro- 
visions, and  Rodney  led  the  way  deeper  into 
the  woods,  the  soldiers  coming  next  in  line 
and  Dick  Graham  bringing  up  the  rear ;  and 
as  he  trudged  along  in  silence  he  had  much  to 
say  to  himself.  Was  this  Rodney  Gray,  who 
was  risking  so  much  to  guide  these  ragged, 
foot-sore  men  to  a  place  of  safety,  the  same 
rabid  Secessionist  who  once  wanted  to  ride 
rough-shod  over  everybody  who  stood  uj)  for 


356  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

tlie  Union  ;  wlio  had  not  scrupled  to  bring  his 
own  cousin  into  serious  difficulty  on  account 
of  his  loyalty  to  the  Old  Flag  ;  who  apj)lauded 
so  lustily  when  the  Mobile  Register  said  that 
Northern  soldiers  were  small-change  knaves 
and  vagrants  who  were  fit  for  nothing  but  to 
be  whipped  by  niggers  ;  and  who  declared  he 
would  not  pull  off  his  gray  suit  until  the  South 
had  gained  her  independence  %  We  said  that 
fifteen  months'  experience  in  the  army  of  the 
Confederacy,  which  never  kept  a  single  one 
of  the  j)i'oniises  it  made  to  those  who  enlisted 
under  its  banner,  had  opened  Rodney  Gray's 
eyes ;  and  although  he  still  believed  in  State 
Rights,  he  did  not  believe  in  fighting  for  a 
government  that  had  deliberately  gone  to  work 
to  make  conscripts  of  its  volunteers.  Nor  did 
he  longer  believe  that  Northern  men  didn't 
know  how  to  fight.  The  way  they  thrashed 
him  and  his  comrades  in  Missouri  proved  that 
they  did. 

Dick  Graham  was  like  Marcy  Gray,  Rod- 
ney's cousin.  He  loved  the  Union  and  the 
flag  that  waved  over  it ;  but,  unlike  Marcy,  he 
thought  it  his  duty  to  .stand  by  his   State. 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PEOMISE.  357 

When  Van  Dorn  was  whipped  at  Pea  Ridge 
Dick  Graham  was  willing  to  lay  down  his 
arms  and  give  np  the  nseless  struggle  ;  but 
the  government  at  Richmond  wouldn't  let 
him.  It  made  conscripts  of  him  and  all  the 
other  State  men  who  had  enlisted  under  Gov- 
ernor Jackson's  proclamation,  and  ordered 
them  across  the  Mississippi  to  join  the  Army 
of  the  Centre  under  Beauregard.  Dick  went 
because  he  could  not  help  himself,  and  did 
his  duty  faithfully  while  he  remained  ;  but  he 
had  his  discharge  in  his  pocket  now,  and  said 
there  would  have  to  be  a  marked  change  in 
his  feelings  before  he  would  swear  away  his 
liberty  again.  There  were  many  like  him. 
He  thought  of  all  the  men  in  his  company  and 
regiment  with  whom  he  had  been  on  terms  of 
intimacy,  and  could  not  name  half  a  dozen 
who  would  have  said  a  harsh  word  to  Rodney 
Gray  if  they  had  known  what  he  was  doing  at 
that  moment.  The  most  of  them  would  have 
done  the  same  thing  and  been  glad  of  the 
chance. 

Although  Rodney  exercised  little  or  no  cau- 
tion in  threading  his  way  through  the  woods, 


358  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEEK. 

lie  insisted  that  there  should  be  no  talking 
among  his  followers.  The  slight  rustling  they 
made  in  the  bushes  might  not  attract  atten- 
tion, because  there  were  so  many  cattle  and 
hogs  running  at  large  in  the  timber  ;  but  the 
sound  of  a  voice  would  betray  them  to  any- 
one who  might  happen  to  be  within  hearing. 
Their  progress  was  easy  enougli  until  tliey 
reached  the  place  where  tlie  w^oods  ended  and 
the  broad,  cultivated  fields  began,  and  then 
Rodney  announced  that  it  was  time  for  the 
fugitives  to  halt  and  get  a  little  sleep  if  they 
could,  while  he  and  Dick  went  on  ahead  to 
see  how  things  looked. 

"  From  here  on  there  is  little  cover  except 
such  as  we  shall  find  in  blind  ditches  and 
behind  bush-lined  fences,"  said  he,  "  You 
boys  take  a  bite  and  a  nap,  and  Dick  and  I 
will  go  to  that  plantation  house  you  see  over 
there,  and  inquire  about  our  friends  from 
Camp  Pinckney.  I  am  somewhat  anxious  to 
know  where  they  are.  Don't  be  in  any  haste 
to  challenge  or  shoot  when  you  hear  us  coming 
back." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  the  people  who  live 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  359 

in  that  liouse,"  said  Dick,  as  lie  and  Rodney 
started  off,  after  taking  leave  of  the  Federals. 
"What  sort  of  a  story  are  you  going  to  tell 
them?" 

"I  am  well  acquainted  with  them,"  an- 
swered Rodney,  "but  whether  or  not  their 
friendship  for  our  family  would  lead  them  to 
do  these  Yanks  a  good  turn,  1  can't  say.  I'll 
not  trust  them  too  far  till  I  find  out.  We'll 
tell  them  the  truth  so  far  as  our  war  record  is 
concerned,  but  we're  hog  and  critter  hunting 
when  they  ask  us  what  brought  us  into  the 
woods.  And  of  course  we  know  all  about  the 
escaped  prisoners." 

Rodney  did  not  lead  the  way  directly 
toward  the  house,  but  worked  his  way  along 
a  fence  until  he  reached  a  point  from  which 
the  dwelling  could  not  be  seen  ;  and  then  he 
and  Dick  climbed  over  into  the  field  and  struck 
out  across  it  without  making  any  further 
attempt  at  concealment.  It  never  occurred  to 
them  that  possibly  the  little  clump  of  trees 
that  hid  the  house  might  also  hide  something 
else  from  their  view,  but  such  proved  to  be  the 
case  ;  for  as  Rodney  w^alked  around  the  corner 


360  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

of  the  building  with  all  the  confidence  of  a 
welcome  visitor,  he  was  surprised  and  fright- 
ened to  find  himself  in  the  presence  of  the 
very  men  he  came  to  inquire  about — the 
soldiers  from  Camp  Pinckney,  who  were  sit- 
ting or  lying  at  their  ease  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees,  wliile  the  master  of  the  house  and 
liis  family  moved  among  them  with  steaming 
coifee-pots  and  trays  filled  with  something 
good  to  eat.  Their  hounds  were  lying  close 
by  on  the  grass,  their  horses  stood  at  the  front 
fence  with  their  heads  down  as  if  asleep,  and 
both  looked  as  though  they  needed  rest.  The 
boys  made  a  mental  note  of  these  things  and 
walked  straight  ahead  as  if  they  belonged  there, 
their  approach  being  hailed  with  an  exclama- 
tion of  delight  from  the  owner  of  the  i)lanta- 
tion,  who  was  the  first  to  catch  sight  of  them. 
"  What  do  you  mean,  sir,  by  such  con- 
duct ? "  said  Mr.  Turnbull,  passing  his  Avell 
loaded  tray  to  one  of  the  soldiers  and  hasten- 
ing to  meet  Rodney  with  outstretched  hand. 
*' You've  been  at  home  five  or  six  days,  and 
this  is  the  first  glimpse  we  have  had  of  you. 
Come  uj)  and  have  a  bite." 


KODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  361 

Rodney  thanked  him  and  presented  his 
friend  Dick,  who  was  welcomed  in  the  same 
breezy  way.  Then  they  shook  hands  with  the 
other  members  of  the  family,  and  were  made 
acquainted  with  tlie  lieutenant  who  com- 
manded the  soldiers — the  one  whom  Captain 
Randolph  had  met  and  talked  with  the  day 
before.  There  was  also  a  neighbor  present  wjio 
had  come  over  to  hear  what  the  soldiers  had 
to  say  about  the  escaped  prisoners,  and  about 
Tom  Randolph,  whose  mysterious  disappear- 
ance was  the  talk  of  the  planters  for  miles 
around.  Rodney  was  not  pleased  to  see  Mr. 
Biglin,  that  was  the  neighbor's  name,  for  he 
was  a  red-hot  Secessionist,  who  denounced  Mr. 
Gray  for  his  moderate  views,  and  declared  that 
every  man  who  retained  a  spark  of  love  for 
the  old  Union  ought  to  be  shot  on  sight. 

"Now  I  think  we  are  all  happy  and  com- 
fortable," said  Mr.  Turnbull,  when  the  boys 
had  been  provided  with  plates  and  something 
to  put  on  them.  "And  that's  better  proven- 
der, I  take  it,  than  you  got  in  the  army  ;  eh, 
Rodney  ?  How  do  you  like  army  life  any- 
way ?     And  when  are  you  going  back  ?  " 


362  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

The  lieutenant  looked  surprised,  as  Rodney 
and  Dick  knew  lie  would,  and  so  they  handed 
over  their  discharges  to  prove  that  they  had 
seen  service,  and  had  the  right  to  be  at  home 
at  that  particular  time. 

"We're  not  going  to  be  in  any  hurry," 
answered  Rodney,  who  thought  all  his  neigh- 
bors ought  to  know  how  he  felt  on  that  point. 
"Since  I  came  home  I  have  met  many  able- 
bodied  civilians  who  ivere  fierce  for  a  fight 
when  this  thing  first  broke  out,  and  who 
haven't  yet  put  on  a  gray  jacket.  When  I 
see  those  men  in  the  front  rank  I'll  go  back, 
and  not  before." 

Mr.  Biglin  winced  and  glanced  uneasily  at 
the  soldiers,  for  these  remarks  came  pretty 
near  applying  to  him,  as  Rodney  meant  they 
should.  Mr.  Turnbull  was  exempt  by  reason 
of  his  age,  and  he  wasn't  a  very  hot  Secession- 
ist, either.  His  wife  hastened  to  turn  tha 
conversation  into  another  channel  by  saying : 

"O  Rodney;  did  you  hear  anything  of 
those  escaped  prisoners  in  your  neighbor- 
hood, and  do  you  think  they  have  killed  qr 
captured  Tom   Randolph?" 


RODTS^EY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  363 

*^  Small  loss,"  began  Mr,  Turnbull,  and  then 
lie  was  checked  by  a  look  from  his  wife.  The 
latter  knew  that  every  word  that  he  uttered 
against  Tom  would  get  to  Mr.  Randolph's  ears 
by  the  shortest  route,  and  she  was  afraid  of 
Home  Guards. 

"Randolph  was  down  here  last  night  look- 
ing for  Tom,"  continued  Mr.  Turnbull,  "but 
he  told  a  story  that  was  too  funny  for  me  to 
believe.  He  said  Tom  had  gone  out  with  his 
Home  Guards  to  search  for  the  prisoners,  but 
I  know  better  than  that." 

"And  Tom  certainly  did  not  go  into  the 
woods  alone  to  hunt  for  them,  so  what  chance 
had  the  Yanks  to  kill  or  capture  him  ?"  added 
Rodney.  "We  know  that  they  were  in  our 
neighborhood  yesterday,  for  some  of  these 
soldiers  told  my  mother  so;  but  they  never 
came  near  our  house." 

"I  noticed  you  did  not  come  by  the  road," 
observed  the  lieutenant.  "Have  you  been 
riding  through  the  woods  back  of  this  planta- 
tion ?  " 

"Dick  and  I  have  been  walking  through 
them,  but  not  a  horn  nor  a  hoof  did  we  see," 


304  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

answered  Rodney.  "  You  know,  Mr.  Turn- 
bul],  that  my  father  will  have  a  big  lot  of 
bacon  and  beef  to  pay  to  the  government  for 
the  exemption  of  two  overseers  ;  and  just  now 
I  don't  know  where  he  is  going  to  get  it." 

"Ned  GrifSn  is  one  overseer,"  said  Mr. 
Turnbull.     "  Who's  the  other  ?  " 

"I  am.  I  never  was  a  good  fighter.  I 
think  I  can  do  the  Confederacy  just  as  much 
service  by  worlving  on  a  farm  and  raising  grub 
for  the  soldiers,  as  I  can  by  staying  in  the 
army.  At  any  rate  I  am  going  to  try  it  until 
some  of  my  neighbors  leave  off  fighting  with 
their  mouths  and  shoulder  a  musket." 

"That's  fair,  I'm  sure,"  said  the  lieutenant ; 
while  the  soldiers  Avinked  and  nodded  at  one 
another  as  if  to  say:  "Our  sentiments  ex- 
actl5^"  Mr.  Biglin  saw  it  and  it  nettled  him, 
for  he  had  done  a  great  deal  of  fighting  with 
his  mouth,  but  every  dollar  he  gave  to  aid  the 
cause  of  the  South  was  fairly  squeezed  out 
of  him. 

"And  while  you  are  working  one  of  your 
father's  farms,  I  suppose  you  will  hold  your- 
self in  readiness  to  help  any  destitute  Yankees 


KODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  365 

who  may  ^happen  to  come  your  way,"  said 
Mr.  Biglin. 

If  Rodney  and  Dick  had  been  the  inexpe- 
rienced boys  they  were  when  they  first  entered 
the  army,  these  startling  words  would  have 
knocked  them  out  of  their  chairs.  If  Mr. 
Biglin  didn't  know  what  they  had  been  doing 
that  morning,  his  language  and  actions  seemed 
to  indicate  that  he  suspected  it.  If  that  was 
the  case,  the  information  must  have  come  from 
Tom  Randolph.  He  had  had  plenty  of  time 
to  reach  home  and  spread  the  news  far  and 
wide.  If  Mr.  Biglin  had  been  content  to  stop 
right  there  he  might  have  left  a  bad  impres- 
sion upon  the  minds  of  some  of  his  auditors  ; 
but  seeing  that  he  had  made  Rodney  and  his 
friend  uneasy,  he  went  on  to  say  : 

"  I  heard  a  fishy  story  about  your  being  cap- 
tured by  Yankee  soldiers  who  were  gentlemen 
enough  to  release  you." 

"There's  nothing  fishy  about  it,"  replied 
Rodney,  greatly  relieved.  "I  said  that  Dick 
and  I  were  captured  and  set  free  again  between 
here  and  Camp  Pinckney,  and  it  is  nothing  but 
the  truth.     I  said,  further,  that  if  I  ever  saw 


366  EODNEY,  THE   OVEllSEEE. 

those  men  in  trouble  I  would  try  my  best  to 
help  them  out ;  and  I  appeal  to  these  soldiers 
here  to  say  if  they  wouldn't  do  the  same," 

"  I  w^ould,  if  I  could  do  it  without  bringing 
myself  to  the  notice  of  my  suj^eriors,"  said  the 
lieutenant ;  while  his  men  nodded  at  Rodney 
and  one  another  as  they  had  done  before. 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't,"  declared  Mr.  Biglin,  in 
savage  tones.  "And  more  than  that,  I  would 
report  every  soldier  or  civilian  whom  I  knew 
to  be  guilty  of  such  a  thing." 

"Ithankyoufor  your  words,"  said  Rodney 
to  himself.  "I  know  now  that  you'll  not  do 
to  tie  to,  and  shall  be  careful  that  none  of  my 
doings  get  to  your  ears." 

Mrs.  TurnbuU  saw  that  it  was  time  for  her  to 
interfere  again.  Two  of  her  guests  were  becom- 
ing almost  red  in  the  face  with  anger,  and  her 
w^oman's  wit  or  something  else  told  her  that 
the  conversation  was  taking  a  dangerous  turn. 
She  had  wondered  from  the  first  what  brought 
Rodney  Gray  so  far  from  home  on  foot,  and 
now  she  believed  that  she  knew  all  about  it. 
She  moved  her  chair  to  the  side  of  Rodney's, 
and  asked  the  young  soldier  to  tell  her  a  story 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  367 

of  army  life  ;  and  as  she  did  so,  lier  gaze  wan- 
dered tlirough  the  bushes  and  trees  to  the 
front  fence,  where  she  saw  one  of  Mr,  Biglin's 
negroes  dodging  about,  and  evidently  trying  to 
catch  the  eye  of  his  master  without  attracting 
the  attention  of  anyone  else  in  the  yard.  The 
circumstance  increased  her  susi)icions,  but  she 
said  very  calmly : 

"Your  boy  Bill  is  out  there  in  the  road, 
Mr.  Biglin,  and  I  think  he  wants  to  tell  you 
something." 

"Then  why  don't  he  come  in?"  replied  the 
planter.  "He  has  been  down  in  the  woods 
trying  to  locate  a  small  drove  of  my  hogs,  and 
perhaps  he  has  found  them." 

"And  perhaps  he  has  found  something 
else,"  was  what  Rodney's  eyes  and  Dick's 
said  when  they  looked  at  each  other  ;  and 
they  could  hardly  conceal  their  agitation  when 
they  observed  that  Mrs.  TurnbuU  was  keeping 
her  gaze  fixed  on  their  faces. 

"  You,  Bill !  "  shouted  the  planter.  "  Come 
here." 

The  negro  came  very  reluctantly,  and  when 
he  saw  his  master  turn  about  in  his  chair  and 


368  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

look  at  him,  he  stopped  and  twisted  his  face 
into  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  rolled  np  the 
whites  of  his  eyes,  trying  by  every  means  in 
his  power  to  make  his  master  understand 
that  he  desired  to  say  a  word  to  him  in 
private. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  speak?"  demanded 
Mr.  Biglin.  "Did  you  find  anything  down 
there?" 

"  Sail  ?  Oh,  ye — yes,  sah  ;  I  found  sumfin," 
replied  the  negro,  in  a  tone  so  significant  that 
Mr.  Biglin  would  have  been  dull  indeed  if  he 
had  failed  to  understand  him  this  time.  With 
the  remark  that  he  had  better  be  getting  along 
tow\ard  home  he  arose  and  follow^ed  the  boy, 
who  promptly  led  the  way  toAvard  the  front 
gate. 

"  Peculiar  man,  that,"  said  the  lieutenant, 
rising  from  his  comfortable  couch  on  the  grass 
and  stretching  his  arms.  "He  didn't  even 
bid  us  good-by.  I  reckon  we'd  best  be  get- 
ting along  toward  camp.    Boots  and  saddles  !  " 

' '  Are  you  going  to  give  up  looking  for  those 
Yankees?"  inquired  Mr.  Turnbull,  and  from 
the  bottom  of  his  heart  Rodney  thanked  him 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  869 

for  asking  the  question.  He  wanted  to  do  it 
liimself,  but  was  afraid  to  speak. 

"I  reckon  I  might  as  well,"  answered  the 
officer,  as  his  men  got  upon  their  feet,  aroused 
the  slumbering  hounds  by  snapping  their 
fingers  at  them,  and  hastened  to  obey  the 
command.  "I  did  think  of  taking  in  those 
woods  on  my  way  to  Mooreville,  but  don't 
suppose  it  would  be  of  any  use.  If  the  Yanks 
were  there  you  two  would  have  been  likely  to 
see  them,  wouldn't  you?"  he  added,  nodding 
at  Rodney. 

"  I  am  quite  sure  we  would,"  was  the  reply  ; 
but  after  all  he  was  not  so  sure  of  it.  The 
timber  was  thick  ;  and,  unless  accompanied  by 
dogs,  a  whole  regiment  might  have  walked 
through  it  without  seeing  any  signs  of  a  fugi- 
tive who  took  the  least  pains  to  conceal 
liimself, 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  continued  the 
lieutenant,  "  and  as  my  men  and  animals  are 
somewhat  worn  with  travel,  I  think  I  will  give 
it  up  and  go  home.  I  would  have  captured 
those  men  yesterday  if  the  Mooreville  Home 
Guards   had   been   worth   their  salt.     I   may 

24 


370        KODNEY,  THE  OVEUSEER. 

have  something  to  say  to  my  colonel  about 
it." 

While  the  lieutenant  talked  he  shook  hands 
with  the  planter  and  the  two  boys,  lifted  his 
cap  to  Mrs.  Tiirnbull,  and  thanked  her  for  the 
excellent  dinner  she  had  given  his  hungry 
men,  and  walked  toward  the  place  where  he 
had  hitched  his  horse,  accompanied  by  their 
host.  The  latter's  wife  remained  behind  ;  and 
when  she  saw  the  officer  swing  himself  into  his 
saddle  she  made  some  slight  apology  to  Dick, 
and  motioned  Rodney  to  follow  her  into  the 
house. 

"  What's  down  there  in  the  woods  behind 
our  plantation  ?  "  were  the  first  words  she  said 
to  him  when  they  were  alone. 

"Why,  Mrs.  Turnbiill,"  began  Rodney, 
"how  should  I  know?  I  assure  you  I  am  at 
a  loss " 

"You  know  what  I  mean,  Rodney  Gray, 
and  you  can't  deceive  me,"  interrupted  the 
lady  with  so  much  earnestness  that  Rodney 
saw  it  was  useless  to  argue  with  her.  "You 
never  in  your  life  before  came  to  this  house 
on  foot ;  you  were  frightened  when  you  found 


RODNEY   KP:EPS   HIS   PROMISE.  371 

the  soldiers  here  ;  you  became  angry  the  mo- 
ment Mr.  Biglin  spoke  of  Yankees  ;  you  were 
frightened  again  when  the  boy  Bill  intimated 
that  he  had  a  word  to  say  to  his  master  in 

private  ;  and  all  through Aha  !     You  do 

know  what  I  mean,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Mrs.  Turnbull,"  replied  Rodney  in  a 
husky  voice.  "They  are  the  men  I  promised 
to  help  if  I  could.     You'll  not  betray  them  ? " 

"  I  ought  to  scold  you  for  speaking  such 
words  to  me,  and  some  day  I  will,"  said  the 
lady  hastily.  "  But  just  now  I  want  to  warn 
you  against  Mr.  Biglin.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  he  is  not  trustworthy." 

When  she  ceased  speaking  she  stepped  to 
the  window  and  looked  out.  She  stood  there 
a  moment  and  beckoned  Rodney  to  her  side. 
The  Confederate  soldiers  had  disappeared  up 
the  road  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  Mr.  Biglin 
was  just  riding  by  the  house.  It  was  plain 
that  he  was  in  a  hurry,  for  he  did  not  stop  to 
I)ick  up  his  hat,  which  ilew  off  just  as  Rodney 
caught  sight  of  him,  but  dug  his  heels  into  his 
mule's  sides  in  the  effort  to  make  him  go 
faster. 


372  EODISTEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"He's  trying  to  overtake  the  soldiers!" 
gasped  Rodney. 

"  He  certainly  is,"  replied  Mrs.  TurnbuU 
calmly.  "He  will  succeed,  too,  and  when  he 
brings  them  back  with  the  hounds " 

"The  Yankees  will  burn  him  out  before  he 
is  a  week  older,"  said  Rodney,  through  his 
clenched  teeth. 

"  They  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort  unless 
you  bear  witness  against  him,  and  I  know  you 
will  not  do  that,"  answered  Mrs.  Turnbull. 
"But  waste  no  time  in  words.  You  know 
what  to  do." 

"I  will  say  something  in  your  favor  and  Mr. 
Turnbull' s  as  soon  as  I  can  gain  the  ear  of  the 
provost  marshal,"  said  Rodney.  "  Good-by, 
and  thank  you  for  the  interest  you  take  in  my 
Yankee  friends." 

Rodney  made  a  sign  to  Dick  as  he  sprang 
down  the  steps  and  ran  around  the  corner  of 
the  house,  and  told  him  his  story  as  they  sped 
across  the  field  side  by  side.  There  was  one 
thing  in  their  favor,  he  said.  Biglin's  mule 
was  one  of  those  critters  that  gallop  up  and 
down  in  one  place  instead  of  going  ahead,  and 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE,  373 

if  the  Confederates  were  moving  with  any 
speed  at  all,  he  might  not  be  able  to  overtake 
them  until  they  had  gone  a  mile  or  two  toward 
Mooreville.  But  he  would  certainly  come  up 
with  them  sooner  or  later  and  bring  them 
back  ;  and  then 

"And  then  they'll  put  the  hounds  on  the 
Yanks'  trail  and  ours,''  exclaimed  Dick, 
finishing  his  sentence  for  him.  "Rodney, 
you  have  got  yourself  into  the  worst  kind  of 
a  scrape  by  helping  those  prisoners." 

"And  how  about  yourself  ?  " 

"I'm  going  to  skip  out  and  go  over  the 
river,  you  know  ;  but  you've  got  to  stay  here 
and  face  the  music.  The  lieutenant  may  not 
be  able  to  set  Tom  Randolph's  cowardly 
Home  Guards  on  to  you— indeed,  I  don't  be- 
lieve he  will  try  ;  but  he'll  report  the  matter 
at  Camp  Pinckney,  and  that  will  be  bad  for 


you." 


The  boys  ran  across  the  field  at  the  top  of 
their  speed,  and  scaled  the  fence  without  hear- 
ing any  sounds  in  the  direction  of  the  house 
to  indicate  that  Mr.  Biglin  had  returned  with 
the  soldiers.      Ten   minutes   later  they  were 


374  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

challenged  in  a  low,  peremptory  tone  that 
Dick  said  meant  business. 

"  Who  comes  there?"  said  the  cor^Doral's 
voice.     "  Speak  quick." 

"It's  all  right,  Yank.  I  don't  wonder  you 
look  anxious,"  replied  Rodney,  as  he  and 
Dick  made  their  way  through  the  bushes 
and  found  the  fugitives  standing  erect  with 
their  guns  in  their  hands.  "Come  on,  now. 
There's  not  a  second  to  lose." 

"Do  you  know  about  that  nigger?"  in- 
quired Ben.  "Well,  sir,  he  found  us  all 
asleep  and  was  onto  us  before  we  knew  it. 
We  could  have  captured  him  easy  enough  ; 
but  we  never  looked  for  treachery  among  the 
darkeys,  and  besides  we  didn't  know  but  you 
Johnnies  had  sent  him  down  with  a  message 
or  something.  But  the  minute  we  spoke  and 
he  ran,  we  knew  there  was  mischief  afoot. 
Of  course  we  were  afraid  to  shoot  him,  and  so 
he  got  safely  away.  Did  you  see  him  ?  What 
did  he  say?" 

"  We  didn't  hear  what  he  said  to  his  mas- 
ter," began  Dick.     "But  we " 

"You  go  to  the  rear  and  let  me  talk,"  in- 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  375 

terriipted  Rodney,  who  liad  forgotten  to  tell 
Ms  friend  that  Mr.  Bigliu's  name  must  not 
be  mentioned  in  the  hearing  of  the  escaped 
prisoners.  Tliey  would  remember  him,  of 
course,  and  square  accounts  with  him  the  first 
time  their  regiment  was  ordered  out  on  a 
scout.  He  managed  to  tell  some  sort  of  a  tale 
without  speaking  of  Mr.  Biglin,  but  it  was  not 
entirely  satisfactory  to  the  corporal. 

"You're  shielding  somebody,  Johnny;  but 
if  he  is  a  friend  of  yours  it's  all  right,"  said 
the  latter. 

"  What  odds  does  it  make  to  you  so  long  as 
you  get  safe  to  the  river?  "  answered  Rodney. 
"I  am  shielding  somebody,  and  I  do  it  be- 
cause Mrs.  Turnbull  expects  me  to.  That's 
the  name  of  the  woman  who  lives  in  that 
house,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  her  there's  no 
telling  what  would  have  happened.  Bear  that 
name  in  mind — Turnbull ;  and  when  you  are 
raiding  through  here,  don't  steal  so  much  as  a 
drink  of  milk  from  that  family." 

The  corporal  and  his  men  promised,  and  said 
the  name  over  several  times  to  fix  it  in  their 
memory. 


376  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"  Our  pursuers  are  all  soldiers,"  continued 
Rodney,  "and  under  almost  any  other  cir- 
cumstances I  believe  they  would  let  us  off 
easy;  but  the  way  they're  fixed,  they've  got 
to  do  their  duty  or  be  reported.  They  are 
bound  to  come  back  to  the  house  and  put  out 
the  hounds " 

"  And  they've  done  it,"  said  Dick  Graham, 
coming  to  a  sudden  standstill  and  turning  one 
ear  toward  the  house.  "  There  !  Do  you  hear 
it?" 

All  this  while  the  fugitives  had  been  mak- 
ing the  best  progress  they  could  through  the 
woods,  but  now  they  stopped  and  listened 
intently.  Yes,  they  could  hear  it  plainly 
enough  ;  not  a  single  bugle  note  like  that 
which  had  attracted  Dick  Graham's  atten- 
tion, but  a  whole  chorus  of  eager  yelps, 
proving  that  all  the  hounds  had  taken  up 
the  trail. 

"This  is  going  to  be  the  tightest  squeak 
we've  had  yet,"  observed  Ben.  "How  many 
of  them  are  there  in  the  party  ? " 

"  About  six  hounds,  I  should  say,  and  twice 
as  many  men,"   replied   Rodney.     "Enough 


RODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PROMISE.  377 

altogetlier  to  make  running  easier  tlian  fight- 
ing. Dick,  take  this  bottle,  and  don't  use  it 
until  I  say  the  word." 

"  What's  in  it  ?  "  inquired  the  corporal.   . 

"Turpentine;  and  if  the  dogs  get  a  good 
sniff  of  it,  it  will  spoil  their  scenting  powers 
for  quite  a  while.  The  trouble  is  it  evaporates 
quickly,  and  Dick  mustn't  use  it  until  the 
hounds  are  close  to  us." 

Dick  fell  back  to  the  rear  and  Rodney  set 
off  on  a  keen  run,  directing  his  course  toward 
a  little  bayou  which  he  knew  he  would  find 
a  mile  or  so  in  advance.  But  fast  as  tliey 
went,  the  hounds  came  on  at  a  swifter  pace, 
their  sonorous  yelps  grew  louder  every  minute, 
and  jDresently  the  encouraging  shouts  of  the 
soldiers  mingled  with  them. 

"Oh,  don't  I  wish  I  had  enlisted  in  the 
infantry,"  puffed  Ben,  who  followed  close  at 
Rodney's  heels.  "Such  a  tramp  as  we  have 
had  wouldn't  be  anything  to  a  foot  soldier, 
but  it's  death  on  a  cavalryman." 

"The  houndjs  are  now  following  Dick's 
trail  and  mine  across  the  field,"  said  Rodney. 
"They'll  come  on  faster  when  they  pick  up 


378  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

yours,  for  they  will  recognize  it  on  tlie 
instant." 

And  so  it  proved.  The  hounds  gradually 
swept  around  from  a  point  to  the  rear  and  left 
of  them  to  another  that  was  directly  behind ; 
and  then  their  loud  baying  increased  wonder- 
fully in  volume.  They  had  at  last  found  the 
trail  that  had  been  lost  to  them  for  so  many 
hours,  and  were  holding  a  jubilee  over  it. 
After  that  the  horsemen  were  distanced,  but 
the  active  hounds  came  on  with  undiminished 
speed,  and  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
could  be  heard  making  their  way  through  the 
bushes  close  behind.  The  prisoners  began  to 
wonder  if  it  wasn't  about  time  for  Dick 
Graham  to  use  the  contents  of  his  bottle,  when 
their  guide  parted  the  thicket  in  front  of  him, 
and  halted  for  an  instant  on  the  bank  of  the 
bayou  for  which  he  had  been  heading. 

"Put  half  of  it  right  here  and  the  rest 
on  the  opposite  bank.  Forward,  the  rest  of 
us,"  said  he;  and  with  the  words  he  dashed 
through  the  narrow  stream  and  into  the  bushes 
on  the  other  side. 

Dick  Graham  showed  no  little  nerve  in  car- 


EODNEY   KEEPS   HIS   PKOMISE.  379 

rying  out  liis  instructions.  When  his  com- 
panions disappeared  he  pulled  the  bottle  of 
turpentine  from  his  pocket,  but  knowing  the 
volatile  nature  of  the  fluid  he  seemed  to  be  in 
no  haste  to  use  it,  until  the  leading  hound  was 
so  close  upon  him  that  he  could  hear  his  la- 
bored breathing.  Then  he  dug  the  heels  of  his 
shoes  into  the  soft  earth  and  filled  the  depres- 
sions with  turpentine.  Ten  seconds  later  he 
stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  bayou,  filling 
other  footprints  with  what  was  left  in  the  bot- 
tle ;  and  just  as  the  foremost  of  his  foiirfooted 
pursuers  appeared  in  sight,  he  flung  himself 
into  the  bushes.  But  he  was  not  prepared  for 
what  followed.  As  fast  as  the  hounds  arrived 
upon  the  bank  they  smelt  at  the  turpentine  and 
backed  away  with  a  sneeze  ;  and  when  they 
were  all  in  plain  view,  running  about  with  their 
heads  in  the  air  or  going  through  such  con- 
tortions as  dogs  will  when  they  unexpectedly 
encounter  something  disagreeable,  a  deafening 
roar  rang  through  the  woods,  and  every  one 
of  the  hounds  dropped  in  his  tracks  dead  or 
wounded.  The  Union  soldiers  were  not  going 
to  be  tracked  like  beasts  or  criminals  any  longer. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

EODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTIOTT, 

THIS  was  the  first  and  last  adventure  that 
befell  Rodney  Gray  and  liis  party  while 
they  were  on  their  way  to  Baton  Rouge  ;  the 
shooting  of  the  hounds  "broke  the  backbone 
of  the  pursuit,"  as  Dick  Graham  expressed  it, 
although  it  did  not  put  a  stop  to  it  altogether. 
The  rebels  raised  a  chorus  of  angry  yells  when 
they  reached  the  bank  of  the  bayou  and  dis- 
covered their  fourfooted  allies  weltering  in 
their  blood,  and  fired  their  guns  at  random 
into  the  woods  in  the  direction  the  fugitives 
had  gone,  but  they  made  no  energetic  effort  to 
continue  the  chase  after  that.  And  this  went 
far  to  confirm  Rodney  in  his  belief  that  the 
lieutenant  would  not  have  put  the  hounds  on 
the  trail  at  all  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Mr.  Biglin. 
By  expressing  this  opinion  aloud  he  could 
have  made  Mr,  Biglin  a  beggar  before  another 
week  passed  over  his  head. 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  38l 

Contrary  to  Ms  original  plan  Rodney  kept 
his  party  moving  until  late  that  afternoon, 
when  he  halted  the  soldiers  in  the  rear  of  an- 
other plantation  while  he  and  Dick  went  to 
the  house  to  get  something  to  eat,  and  make 
inquiries  concerning  their  pursuers.  This  time 
they  were  not  gone  more  than  half  an  hour, 
and  when  they  returned  they  were  accompa- 
nied by  the  owner  of  the  iDlantation,  who  cor- 
dially invited  the  soldiers  into  the  house. 

"  It's  all  right,  boys,"  Rodney  assured  them. 
"Our  friends  from  Camp  Pinckney  haven't 
been  this  far  down  the  road  ;  Mr.  Banks  is 
Union,  and  a  large  squad  of  your  cavalry  has 
just  gone  back  into  the  country,  so  that  they 
are  between  us  and  the  rebels." 

"Why,  Rodney,"  said  Mr.  Banks,  "you're 
a  rebel  yourself." 

"  I  was,  and  I  don't  know  but  I  am  yet ;  but 
lam  not  fighting  any  Yanks  just  now,"  was 
the*  smiling  reply.  "Come  along,  boys,  and 
after  we  have  eaten  everything  Mr.  Banks  has 
to  spare,  we'll  take  to  the  road  and  follow  it 
as  though  we  had  a  right  there.  We've  done 
hiding  now." 


382  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

The  corporal  glanced  at  the  military  pass 
which  Mr.  Banks  produced  to  prove  that  lie 
was  "all  right"  with  the  Federal  authorities 
in  Baton  Rouge,  and  gladly  accepted  his  in- 
vitation ;  and  for  fear  that  he  might  forget  it, 
he  drew  one  of  those  useless  paroles  from  his 
pocket  and  wrote  Mr.  Banks'  name  and  Mr. 
TurnbuU's  upon  it. 

"That's  as  strong  a  promise  of  protection 
as  a  non-commissioned  officer  can  give,"  said 
lie.  "  It  will  hold  good  with  my  regiment, 
any  way." 

The  four  prisoners  splashed  a  good  deal  of 
water  at  the  horse  trough  before  they  would 
consent  to  enter  the  house  and  sit  down  to  the 
table  like  white  folks,  but  when  they  got  there 
they  did  ample  justice  to  the  substantial  food 
that  was  placed  before  them.  The  planter 
apologized  for  the  absence  of  salt  on  the  table 
by  saying  that  he  hadn't  been  able  to  obtain 
a  permit  to  bring  it  through  the  lines. 

"Then  smuggle  it,"  suggested  the  corporal. 
"  Buy  a  barrel  of  flour  and  chuck  a  bag  of 
salt  inside  of  it." 

"  But  don't  let  your  best  friend  see  joii  do 


EODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  383 

it,"  cliimed  in  Rodney.  "That's  the  warning 
my  father  received.  There  are  lots  of  traitors 
in  the  city  who  try  to  curry  favor  with  the 
Yanks  by  carrying  tales  about  their  old  neigh- 
bors. By  the  way,  don't  you  want  me  to  get 
you  a  barrel  of  flour  ?  " 

The  expression  of  astonishment  that  came 
upon  Mr.  Banks'  face  set  the  table  in  a  roar. 

"You  didn't  expect  me  to  speak  so  freely 
in  the  presence  of  these  blue-coated  boys,  I 
suppose,"  continued  Rodney.  "You  needn't 
be  afraid,  for  they  are  not  on  duty  now.  Be- 
sides, they  are  soldiers,  and  I'd  rather  trust 
them  than  some  civilians  I  know  of." 

"How  will  you  bring  the  flour  out?"  asked 
Mr.  Banks. 

"I'll  bring  it  out,"  answered  Rodney  con- 
fidently. "In  the  first  place  I'll  ask  for  a 
I)ass  for  inland  travel  and  a  permit  to  trade, 
and  I  am  bound  to  get  both.  I  know  where  I 
can  borrow  a  team  in  the  city,  and  I  intend  to 
bring  it  out  loaded.  I  know  that  salt  and  all 
munitions  of  war  are  contraband,  and  that 
there  is  an  inspection  of  all  persons  and 
property  going  in  or  out  of  the  lines  ;  but  I — 


384  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

well,  I  shall  be  back  this  way  to-morrow  or 
next  day,  and  if  you  want  a  bag  of  salt  for 
your  table  you  can  have  it." 

"Well,  I  snum!"  said  the  planter  admir- 
ingly. "Your  war  experience  has  done  a 
heap  for  you,  Rodney." 

"He  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
forager  in  the  regiment,"  said  Dick.  "I've 
known  him  to  stick  a  pig  and  clean  him  and 
bring  him  into  camp  under  Daddy  Price's 
nose,  when  the  orders  were  strict  that  such 
tilings  shouldn't  be  done.  If  there  was  any- 
thing to  eat  in  the  country  our  mess  always 
lived  well." 

Dinner  over,  Rodney  led  his  party  out  of  the 
house  and  into  the  woods  again  ;  but  it  was 
done  merely  to  mislead  any  talkative  rebel 
or  treacherous  darkey  who  might  be  on  the 
watch.  It  wouldn't  do  to  let  all  the  neighbors 
know  that  Mr.  Banks  had  sheltered  some  es- 
caped prisoners  in  his  house  during  the  night ; 
but  when  darkness  came  they  left  the  woods 
and  found  in  one  of  the  negro  cabins  beds  that 
had  been  placed  there  on  purpose  for  them, 
and    on   which   they  slept  the    sleep  of  the 


rodnp:y  passes  inspection.  385 

weary.  Daylight  tlie  next  morning  found 
tliein  well  on  their  way  toward  the  city,  with 
a  breakfast  under  their  belts  and  a  big  lunch 
in  their  pockets. 

There  was  more  travel  on  the  road  than 
Rodney  expected  to  see,  and  the  number  of 
teams  that  were  constantly  going  and  coming 
gave  him  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  traffic 
carried  on  between  the  "invaders"  and  the 
country  people.  When  he  and  his  compan- 
ions were  halted  by  the  first  pickets  a  few 
miles  outside  the  city,  they  told  as  much  of 
their  story  as  they  thought  necessary,  and  de- 
manded to  be  taken  before  Colonel  Baker, 
commanding  the  — th  Michigan  cavalry.  In 
order  to  avoid  delay  and  the  trouble  of  answer- 
ing the  thousand  and  one  questions  pro- 
pounded by  the  inexperienced  non-commis- 
sioned officer  who  responded  to  the  picket's 
call,  the  corporal,  who  did  the  talking,  said 
that  they  were  all  escaped  prisoners  ;  but  when 
they  reached  the  place  where  the  — th  Michi- 
gan were  encamped,  and  walked  down  the 
street  toward  the  colonel's  quarters,  that 
story  would  no  longer  pass  muster,  for  the 
25 


386  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

corporal  was  recognized  by  liis  comrades,  who 
crowded  about  him  from  all  sides.  The  news 
of  that  light  near  Camp  Pinckney  had  been 
brought  in  by  a  farmer,  who  affirmed  that  all 
the  Yankees  had  been  killed  by  the  Home 
Guards  as  fast  as  they  surrendered,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  Michigan  boys  had  given  up 
all  hoi)e  of  seeing  their  friends  again.  Their 
commanding  officer  greeted  them  in  the  same 
cordial  way,  laughed  over  the  paroles  which 
the  corporal  gave  him,  took  down  the  names 
of  the  Union  people  as  they  were  read  off, 
looked  at  Rodney's  discharge  and  Dick's,  and 
told  the  corporal. to  show  them  the  way  to  the 
provost  marshal's  office. 

"But,  colonel,  these  boys,  who  have  stood 
by  us  as  though  they  belonged  to  us,  want  a 
pass  and  a  permit  to  trade,"  said  the  corporal. 
"  And  if  you  will  allow  me  to  use  your  name, 
perhaps  the  provost  will  be  more  willing  to 
grant  the  favor." 

The  permission  was  readily  given,  and  the 
colonel's  name  must  have  had  some  weight 
with  the  marshal,  for  he  did  not  detain  Rod- 
ney and  Dick  at  his  office  on  business  for  more 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  387 

than  ten  minutes  ;  but  he  kept  them  there 
talking  in  a  friendly  way  for  more  than  an 
hour.  When  he  handed  them  the  papers 
they  wanted  he  took  pains  to  say  that  there 
were  some  things  that  could  not  be  taken 
through  the  lines  under  any  circumstances 
whatever,  and  then  he  asked  where  they  in- 
tended to  make  their  headquarters  when  they 
were  in  the  city,  and  whether  or  not  they  had 
any  cotton  to  sell.  As  Rodney  did  not  know 
what  his  object  might  be  in  asking  this  ques- 
tian,  he  answered  it  evasively. 

"I  wish  I  owned  1000  bales,  and  that  it  was 
in  the  Northern  market  at  this  minute,"  said 
he.  "It  is  worth  sixty  cents  a  pound  up 
there." 

"  Because  if  you've  got  any  you  may  as  well 
understand  that  it  won't  do  you  much  good," 
said  the  marshal.  "That  is,  unless  you're 
sharp.  The  Richmond  government  is  going  to 
buy  or  steal  all  the  cotton  in  the  Confederacy 
and  make  it  the  basis  of  a  foreign  loan." 

"And  of  course  you  Yanks  are  going  to 
stop  that  sort  of  work  by  destroying  every  bale 
you  can  iind,"  said  Rodney.     "I  understand 


388        KODNEY,  THE  OVEKSEER, 

that,  but  I  don't  know  wliat  you    mean  by 
being  sharp." 

"You  don't  get  the  papers  very  often,  do 
you?"  said  the  captain.  "Well,  take  those 
when  you  go.  They're  old,  but  perhaps  their 
contents  will  be  news  to  you.  You  will  find 
that  they  say  something  about  a  '  partial 
trade '  that  is  to  be  established  between 
Northern  men  who  are  to  have  jiermits  to 
trade  inside  our  lines,  and  Union  Southern 
people.  Does  that  hit  you?  Anything  to 
cripple  the  rebs,  you  know.  And  you  will  see 
something  about  the  Arkansas  ram  in  there, 
too.  It  was  a  brave  act,  if  it  was  performed 
by  the  enemies  of  my  country." 

"What  about  her?  AVhat  did  she  do?" 
inquired  Rodney,  who  had  heard  vague  reports 
that  there  was  such  a  vessel  as  the  ArJcansas, 
and  that  great  things  were  expected  of  her  by 
her  Confederate  builders. 

"  Why,  you  know  that  the  navy  has  been 
keeping  up  a  regular  bombardment  of  Vicks- 
burg,  don't  you  ?  I  tell  you  the  pluck  of  the 
Johnnies  up  there  is  something  wonderful," 
said  the  captain,  and  Rodney  and  Dick,  dis- 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  389 

gusted  as  they  were  with  the  policy  of  the 
Richmond  government,  felt  a  thrill  of  pride  as 
they  listened  to  his  words.  "  They  think  the 
lower  river  was  given  up  too  easily  and  are 
going  to  make  a  fight  for  their  city  ;  and  when 
Farragiit  passed  their  batteries  on  the  28tli  of 
June,  and  our  shells  were  falling  like  hail  in 
the  streets,  parties  of  ladies  were  seen  on  the 
court  house  and  in  other  conspicuous  places, 
waving  handkerchiefs  and  little  rebel  flags  to 
encourage  their  husbands  and  brothers  and 
sons,  who  were  fighting  the  guns  below  them. 
Well,  when  Farragut  joined  Davis  above  the 
city  they  sent  an  expedition  up  the  Yazoo  to 
find  this  ram  Arkansas  and  destroy  her ;  but 
before  they  were  fairly  started  they  met  the 
Arkansas  coming  down." 

"  And  didn't  they  capture  her?  "  exclaimed 
Dick. 

"No,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  She  either  disabled 
or  dodged  the  three  gunboats  composing  the 
expedition,  came  out  of  the  Yazoo  with  flying 
colors,  ran  through  both  fleets,  and  took  shelter 
under  the  guns  of  Vicksburg.  And  she's 
there  now  in  spite  of  two  desjjerate  attempts 


390  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

that  were  made  to  destroy  her.  Sorry,  aint 
you?" 

"  I  can't  honestly  say  that  I  am,"  answered 
Rodney,  who  had  ah-eady  made  up  his  mind 
that  the  talkative  provost  marshal  was  willing 
to  be  friendly  to  any  Confederate  who  had  laid 
down  his  arms.  "  A  brave  act  like  that  ought 
to  be  successful." 

"  Then  our  attempts  to  destroy  her  ought  to 
have  been  successful,  for  they  were  equally 
brave,"  retorted  the  captain.  "She got  pretty 
well  hammered  while  passing  through  the  two 
fleets,  and  report  says  that  as  soon  as  she  is 
repaired  she  is  coming  down  to  take  Baton 
Rouge  from  us.  But  she  is  as  far  down  as  she 
will  ever  get.  Farragut  is  here  now  with  his 
whole  fleet." 

And  this  is  a  good  place  to  say  a  word  or 
two  more  about  the  situation  at  Baton  Rouge, 
so  that  some  events  which  we  have  yet  to  rt  cord 
may  be  made  perfectly  plain.  On  the  22d  of 
the  month  (July)  Flag-ofiicer  Davis  made 
another  attempt  to  destroy  the  Arlcansas, 
bnt  it  resulted  in  failure.  Two  of  his  boats, 
the  Essex  and  Queen  of  the  West,  were  com- 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  391 

manded  to  go  down  and  sink  lier  as  she  lay  at 
her  moorings  under  cover  of  tlie  Confederate 
batteries,  but  lier  picked  crew  fought  as 
bravely  and  skilfully  now  as  they  had  done  a 
week  before.  The  Essex  ran  aground  and  re- 
mained there  for  ten  minutes  under  fire  so  hot 
that  it  is  a  wonder  she  was  not  cat  all  to  pieces; 
but  she  finally  worked  off  and  ran  down  to  join 
Farragut,  while  the  Queen  of  the  West  strug- 
gled bacli  up  the  river  to  report  the  failure  to 
Flag-officer  Davis.  The  situation  at  this  time 
was  discouraging  to  our  side.  The  gunboats 
were  widely  separated  ;  the  canal  that  w^as 
to  make  Vicksburg  an  inland  town  proved  a 
failure  ;  General  Williams  removed  to  Baton 
Rouge  the  small  body  of  troops  with  which  he 
had  been  co-operating  with  the  naval  forces ; 
Commodore  Davis  went  back  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Yazoo  and  anchored  there  ;  and  for  full 
five  months  there  was  a  lull  in  the  operations 
against  Vicksburg.  Bat  exciting  things  con- 
tinued to  happen  in  Rodney  Gray's  part  of 
the  country. 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,  we  of  the  Army  of 
the   Centre   always   found    more   reliable   in- 


392        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

formation  in  your  papers  than  we  did  in  onr 
own,  and  I  suppose  that  these  you  have  kindly 
given  me  will  tell  us  all  about  the  doings  on 
the  river,"  said  Rodney,  continuing  the  con- 
versation we  have  broken  off.  "But  I  want 
to  ask  you  one  question  before  I  go.  My 
friend  Dick  wants  to  go  to  Little  Rock.  How 
is  he  going  to  get  there  ? " 

"I  give  it  up,"  replied  the  captain. 

"Do  you  think  the  commanding  naval 
officer  would  permit  him  to  cross  the  river  if 
he  showed  his  discharge  !  " 

"  He  might,  and  then  he  might  not.  I  can't 
say.  Those  navy  men  are  fine  fellows,  the 
finest  I  think  I  ever  saw  ;  but  they're  so  fiery 
particular  that  if  I  wanted  to  go  to  Little 
Rock,  and  if  it  was  right  that  I  should  go,  I 
wouldn't  consult — I  believe  I  should — well, 
I'd  just  go.     That's  all." 

"  Well,  we  will  no  longer  trespass  upon 
your  time,"  said  Rodney,  getting  upon  his 
feet.  "We  are  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind- 
ness and  courtesy,  and  if  you  ever  come  out 
our  way,  drop  in  and  see  us." 

"  I  should  be  glad  if  I  could  accept  half  the 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  393 

invitations  that  have  been  given  me  by  people 
hereabout,"  replied  the  captain.  "But  just 
now  I  can't.     Any  rebs  out  your  way  ? " 

"I  don't  expect  you  to  come  without  an 
escort.  There  are  soldiers  at  Camp  Pinckney, 
and  some  of  them  have  been  seen  in  Moore- 
ville." 

"Good-by,  if  you  must  go;  and  remember 
that  there  are  a  few  things  which  that  permit 
does  not  authorize  you  to  take  through  the 
lines." 

Rodney  said  he  would  not  forget  it,  and 
then  he  and  Dick  saluted  and  went  into  the 
outer  room,  which  was  filled  with  civilians  and 
soldiers  awaiting  an  audience  with  the  provost 
marshal.  After  looking  in  vain  for  the  cor- 
poral, they  concluded  that  he  had  returned  to 
camp,  so  they  took  the  nearest  way  to  the 
home  of  Mr.  Martin,  the  gentleman  under 
whose  hospitable  roof  Rodney  and  his  father 
were  sojourning  on  the  night  that  Ned  Griffin 
rode  in  from  Mooreville  with  the  information 
that  Drummond  and  Tom  Randolph  were  lay- 
ing plans  to  have  Rodney  arrested  when  he 
reached  St.   Louis.     Mr.  Martin  was  glad  to 


394  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

see  them,  and  made  them  feel  at  home  at  once. 
He  laughed  when  they  told  him  of  their  inter- 
view with  the  provost  marsha],  and,  when 
Rodney  declared  that  he'd  like  to  see  anybody 
treated  with  so  much  civility  by  an  officer 
holding  that  position  in  Bragg' s  army,  cau- 
tioned them  to  be  careful  how  they  trespassed 
upon  the  captain's  good  nature.  The  latter 
was  cordial  and  friendly  with  everyone  who 
had  business  with  him,  but  he  had  a  reputa- 
tion as  a  tighter,  had  won  all  his  promotions 
by  his  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  had 
no  mercy  on  civilians  or  soldiers  who  were 
caught  disobeying  his  orders. 

"  But  smuggling  things  out  of  the  lines  is 
like  foraging  in  the  army,"  said  Mr.  Martin 
in  conclusion.  "The  sin  lies  in  being  de- 
tected." 

"  That's  all  I  want  to  know,"  said  Rodney. 
"I've  never  been  caught  yet.  You  can  tell 
me  where  I  can  borrow  or  hire  n  team,  I  suj)- 
pose  ? " 

Yes,  the  host  could  do  that,  and  he  might 
also  be  able  to  make  a  few  suggestions  that 
would  be  of  use  to  them  ;  but  he  didn't  see 


RODNEY    PASSES   INSPECTION.  395 

how  Dick  would  get  over  the  river  unless  he 
acted  upon  the  provost  marshal's  advice  and 
"just  went." 

"  However,"  he  said,  after  a  moment's  re- 
flection, "I  will  introduce  you  to  our  mail 
carrier,  if  he  will  let  me." 

"Do  we  have  a  mail  carried  back  and  forth 
under  the  noses  of  these  gunboats  ? "  exclaimed 
Dick. 

"I  don't  know  how  or  where  it  goes,  but  we 
certainly  have  communication  with  the  oppo- 
site shore.  The  service  was  very  irregular 
while  General  Williams  was  at  Yicksburg, 
but  since  he  came  back  to  Baton  Rouge  our 
mail  reaches  us  at  shorter  intervals ;  so  I 
imagine  it  is  carried  across  at  some  point  up 
the  river  and  brought  down  through  the  coun- 
try. I  don't  know,  but  I  meet  the  mail  car- 
rier once  in  a  while," 

"And  can  you  make  it  convenient  to  say  a 
word  to  him  about  Dick  ? " 

"I  can  and  will  ;  but  I  must  tell  you  now 
that  there  is  one  thing  that  will  operate 
against  you.  You  told  the  j)i"ovost  marshal 
that  you  would  make  your  headquarters  at 


396  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER.  = 

my  house  as  often  as  you  came  to  town, 
and  he  knows  me  "to  be  a  Southern  sympa- 
thizer." 

"Whew!"  whistled  Rodney,  while  Dick 
looked  frightened.  "Mr.  Martin,  we  will 
never  come  near  your  house  again." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will,"  replied  their  host. 
"But  you  must  be  careful  how  you  act  and 
who  you  talk  to.  The  city  is  full  of  the 
meanest  sort  of  converted  rebels,  who  are 
harder  on  us  than  tlie  Yankees.  If  Mrs. 
Martin  goes  out  shopping  or  receives  a  guest 
oftener  than  once  a  week,  they  run  to  the 
marshal  with  the  news,  and  I  have  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  my  premises  are  being 
Avatched  for  spies." 

"They  are  a  contemptible  lot,"  declared 
Dick.  "  And  if  the  provost  marshal  was  the 
gentleman  we  took  him  for,  he  w^ould  not  pay 
the  least  heed  to  their  reports." 

"  All's  fair  in  war,"  said  the  host.  "These 
converted  rebels  are  working  for  trade  permits. 
There's  going  to  be  a  lot  of  money  made  in 
cotton  one  of  these  days,  and  they  want  some  of 
it.     While  in  the  city  you  may  listen  all  you 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  397 

please,  but  don't  make  a  confidant  of  anybody 
but  me.  And  don't  liave  too  mucli  to  say  to 
those  four  escaped  x^i"isoners.  You  may  run 
across  them  some  time  wlien  they  are  on 
duty." 

Mr.  Martin  talked  for  half  an  hour  in  this 
strain,  dropping  hints  here  and  there  which 
proved  to  be  of  great  service  to  Rodney,  and 
then  he  conducted  the  boys  to  a  clothing  store 
and  left  them  to  make  their  purchases,  while 
he  went  out  to  look  for  a  team.  Before  they 
went  to  bed  that  night  their  business  was  all 
done,  and  all  that  remained  for  them  to  do  in 
the  morning  was  to  load  the  two-horse  wagon 
their  host  had  jjrovided  for  them  and  go  home. 
Mr.  Martin  obtained  from  Rodney  a  list  of 
needed  goods,  principally  groceries,  which  he 
purchased  and  packed  himself  ;  and  when  the 
various  boxes,  barrels,  and  bags  that  com- 
prised his  load  were  afterward  unpacked  at 
his  father's  door,  Rodney  found  in  them  many 
little  articles  which  he  was  sure  he  had  not 
placed  on  that  list.  They  made  an  early 
start,  and  Rodney's  parting  injunction  to  Mr. 
Martin  was  to  seek  an  interview  with  the  mail 


398  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

carrier  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  for 
Dick  was  impatient  to  be  on  Lis  way  home. 

"  This  is  my  first  work  as  an  overseer,"  said 
Rodney,  when  the  city  was  left  behind  and 
the  two  scraggy  mules  that  pulled  the  wagon 
had  been  coaxed  and  thrashed  into  a  snail's 
trot,  "and  I  think  I  have  made  a  very  fair 
beginning,  seeing  that  the  business  is  new  to 
me.  My  next  task  will  be  to  see  you  over  the 
river." 

"  I  never  knew  you  were  an  overseer,"  said 
Dick. 

"I've  called  myself  one  ever  since  I  had 
that  talk  with  my  father  on  the  night  we  came 
home,"  answered  Rodney.  "And  just  see 
what  I  shall  have  to  do  when  you  are  gone  ! 
I  battled  for  fame  and  didn't  get  it,  and  now 
I  am  going  to  work  for  dollars  and  see  if  I  will 
have  any  better  luck.  Dick,  I  am  just  aching 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  one  of  those 
traders — that  is,  a  Yankee  trader.  Not  one 
of  those  converted  rebels  Mr.  Martin  told  us 
of  shall  touch  a  bale  of  our  cotton,  if  I  have  to 
tight  to  keep  him  away  from  it ;  but  if  some 
good  Yankee  comes  along  and   offers    sixty 


RODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  399 

cents  a  pound  for  it,  you  just  wait  and  see 
how  hard  I  will  work  to  put  it  in  his 
hands." 

It  was  plain  that  Rodney  Gray  belonged  to 
the  class  who  were  denounced  by  Pollard,  the 
Southern  historian,  as  "unpatriotic  planters." 
In  writing  of  this  very  matter  Mr.  Pollard 
said  :  "The  country  had  taken  a  solemn  reso- 
lution to  bnrn  the  cotton  in  advance  of  the 
enemy  ;  but  the  conflagration  of  this  staple 
became  a  rare  event ;  instead  of  being  com- 
mitted to  the  flames  it  was  spirited  away  to 
Yankee  markets.  The  j)l^i^ters  of  the  ex- 
treme South,  who  i)rior  to  the  war  were  loudest 
for  secession,  were  known  to  buy  every  article 
of  their  consumption  from  the  invading  army. 
Nor  were  these  operations  always  disguised. 
Some  commercial  houses  in  the  Confederacy 
counted  their  gains  by  millions  of  dollars 
through  the  favor  of  the  government  in  allow- 
ing them  to  export  cotton  at  pleasure."  But 
Rodney  Gray  was  a  private  individual,  and  he 
was  well  aware  that  if  his  father's  cotton 
brought  the  money  it  was  really  worth,  it 
would  take  some  good  scheming  on  his  part. 


400  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

About  an  hour  after  tlie  boys  left  the  city 
tliey  came  upon  the  first  picket  post,  which 
thejT-  found  to  be  an  unusually  strong  one, 
being  composed  of  one  sergeant,  two  corporals, 
and  eight  or  nine  privates.  Rodney  had  just 
time  to  remark  "We  pass  inspection  here, 
probably,"  when  one  of  the  soldiers  walked 
to  the  middle  of  the  road,  brouglit  his  musket 
to  "arms  port"  and  commanded  them  to  halt. 
An  instant  afterward  their  wagon  was  sur- 
rounded by  the  rest  of  the  pickets,  who  shook 
the  barrels  back  and  forth,  dug  their  fingers 
into  the  bags,  and  bum^jed  the  boxes  about  in 
the  most  unceremonious  style. 

"Got  a  permit?"  demanded  the  sergeant. 
"And  a  pass?"  He  did  not  ask  who  the 
boj^s  were  or  where  they  came  from,  and  the 
sequel  proved  that  he  knew  without  asking. 

"  These  documents  appear  to  be  all  right," 
he  continued,  after  he  had  read  the  papers 
Rodney  handed  out.  "Discharged  rebels, 
eh  ?  You  don' t  seem  to  be  such  a  desperate 
looking  couple.  What  you  got  in  your 
wagon?" 

"Munitions    of    war,"     replied     Rodney. 


KODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION.  401 

"There's  a  six-pound  field-piece  in  one  of 
those  barrels." 

"That's  what  I  thought.  Get  out,  both  of 
you." 

Although  the  boys  were  surprised  and 
startled  by  this  unexpected  command  they 
were  prompt  to  obey  it. 

"  Now  let  me  see  what  you've  got  in  your 
pockets,"  said  the  sergeant.  "Every  scrap, 
mind  you.'* 

"  You're  welcome  to  read  all  the  letters  and 
things  of  that  sort  you  can  find  about  .us," 
answered  Rodney.  "We  are  not  simple 
enough  to  lose  our  permits  and  passes  by 
carrying  despatches  the  first  thing." 

"They're  the  laddie-bucks  who  helped 
the  — th  Michigan's  boys,"  observed  a  cor- 
poral. 

"I  know;  but  business  is  business,"  said 
the  sergeant.  "  And  they've  been  in  Martin's 
company  ever  since  they  came  to  town." 

"That's  all  right.  I  don't  object  to  your 
doing  your  duty,  for  I've  been  a  soldier  my- 
self," said  Rodney.  "But  I  do  object  to 
being  taken  for  a  i)lumb  dunce.     You'll  find 

26 


402  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

no  writing  about  us  except  tlie  papers  we 
showed  you  and  our  discharges." 

But  the  sergeant  obeyed  orders,  like  the 
good  soldier  he  was,  and  it  was  not  until  he 
had  seen  all  their  pockets  turned  inside  out, 
and  had  felt  of  the  seams  of  their  coats  and 
trousers,  that  he  concluded  they  were  all 
right  and  could  pass  on.  He  did  not  say  a 
word  about  the  things  they  had  in  the 
wagon.  He  was  after  despatches  and  nothing 
else. 

"Climb  in  and  go  ahead,  Johnny,"  said  the 
sergeant,  giving  Rodney  a  friendly  slap  to 
help  him  along.  "And  when  you  see  that 
best  girl  of  yours,  give  her  my  regards  and 
say  that  I  am  coming  out  to  call  on  her  one  of 
these  days." 

"Well,  be  sure  and  come  in  a  crowd. 
You'll  see  fun  if  you  don't." 

"  Any  graybacks  out  your  way  ? " 

"  Some ;  and  the  events  of  the  last  few  hours 
will  probably  bring  more.  So-long,  boys, 
and  look  out  for  the  rebs  in  Vicksburg.  They 
are  coming  down  to  clean  you  out." 

He  was  answered  by  shouts  of  laughter  and 


EODNEY   PASSES   INSPECTION^.  403 

derision  from  the  Federals,  who  advised  him 
not  to  take  a  hand  in  the  cleaning-out  busi- 
ness, for  he  would  be  whipped  if  he  did.  He 
drove  on,  glad  to  escape  so  easily,  and  in  due 
time  turned  up  at  Mr.  Turnbull's  house,  where 
he  and  Dick  rested  the  balance  of  the  day  and 
slept  that  night.  When  it  was  dark  a  barrel 
of  Hour  was  taken  from  the  wagon  and  carried 
into  Mrs.  Turnbull's  dining  room  ;  and  when 
some  of  the  flour  had  been  taken  out  four  bags 
of  salt  were  brought  to  light.  If  those  little 
bags  had  been  filled  with  money  Mr.  TurnbuU 
and  his  wife  could  scarcely  have  expressed 
more  joy. 

.  "We've  been  seasoning  our  food  with  the 
floor  of  the  smoke-house  for  the  last  two 
months,"  said  the  former,  "and  I  tell  you  I 
am  glad  to  see  some  clean  salt  once  more. 
You  have  made  us  your  everlasting  debtors. 
How  much  did  it  cost  you  ? " 

"I  didn't  get  an  itemized  bill,"  replied 
Rodney.  "Take  it  to  pay  for  our  grub  and 
lodging." 

•The  next  night  saw  them  safe  at  home,  and 
the  night  following  found  them  settled  on  Mr. 


404  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Gray's  upper  plantation,  wliich  was  located  a 
mile  or  two  up  the  river  from  the  one  on  which 
Ned  Griffin  was  living  as  overseer.  Rodney 
was  elated  over  the  result  of  his  first  visit 
to*  the  city,  for  the  immediate  wants  of  the 
family  had  been  abundantly  supplied  by  that 
wagon-load  of  goods,  and  he  and  Dick  could 
now  wear  clothes  that  looked  as  though  they 
fitted  somewhere  ;  but  his  father  and  mother 
were  not  elated.  They  looked  serious,  and 
Rodney  told  Dick  that  he  made  a  mis- 
take when  he  described  how  carefully  the 
Federal  soldiers  searched  them  for  des- 
patches. 

"And  it  is  a  bad  thing  for  you  that  they 
know  we  make  our  headquarters  at  Mr.  Mar- 
tin's," he  added.  "They've  got  an  eye  on 
him;  and  what  will  you  bet  that  they  don't 
know  he  sees  that  mail  carrier  once  in  a 
while?" 

"Then  what's  the  reason  they  don't  ar- 
rest him  and  the  mail  carrier  too?"  said 
Dick. 

"They'll  jump  down  on  the  pair  of  them 
when  they  are  good  and  ready,  and  think  they 


RODNEY   PASSES  INSPECTION.  405 

can  capture  some  important  documents  by 
doing  it,"  answered  Rodney.  "You  can't 
cross  at  Baton  Rouge.  You'll  have  to  start 
from  some  point  up  the  river.  But  we'll  see 
the  mail  carrier  if  we  can,  and  hear  what  he 
has  to  say  about  it." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS. 

RODNEY  GRAY  was  an  overseer  now  at 
all  events,  and  being  one  of  those  uneasy 
fallows  who  must  have  something  to  occupy 
their  minds  at  all  times,  and  fond  of  hunting, 
he  would  have  been  as  happy  and  contented  as 
he  wanted  to  be,  if  there  had  been  no  such 
things  as  Home  Guards  in  the  world.  The 
Yankees  at  Baton  Rouge  he  did  not  bother  his 
head  about.  He  had  charge  of  400  acres  of 
land,  100  of  which  were  under  cultivation,  and 
fifteen  work  hands — just  enough  to  bring  him 
under  the  exemption  clause  of  the  Conscription 
Act.  For  the  privilege  of  staying  at  home  and 
overseeing  these  hands  the  Confederate  Gov- 
ernment demanded  of  him  3000  pounds  of  salt 
pork  and  beef,  or  their  equivalent  in  bacon, 
and  Rodney  exj)ected  to  furnish  the  meat  him- 
self. There  were  many  hogs  running  loose  in 
the  woods,  and  as  the  negro  driver  who  had 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDEKS.     407 

charge  of  tlie  plantation  previous  to  Rodney's 
coming  had  taken  no  pains  to  "tame"  them 
by  feeding  them  regularly,  they  were  as  wild 
as  deer,  and  Rodney  intended  to  hunt  them 
as  he  would  have  hunted  deer — "with  rifle 
and  with  hounds." 

The  "great  house"  in  which  Rodney  lived 
was  very  unlike  the  same  dwelling  on  the 
home  jDlantation.  It  was  built  of  unhewn  logs 
and  contained  two  rooms,  the  wide  hall  be- 
tween them  being  used  as  the  dining  room, 
both  summer  and  winter.  The  kitchen,  which 
stood  a  little  distance  away,  was  built  of  logs, 
and  so  were  the  negro  cabins,  corn-cribs, 
smoke  houses,  and  the  little  stable  in  which 
his  riding  horse  would  find  shelter  in  stormy 
weather  ;  but  taken  as  it  stood  the  plantation 
was  a  valuable  one,  for,  concealed  somewhere 
in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  woods,  that  hemmed 
the  cultivated  fields  in  on  all  sides,  were  sev- 
eral hundred  bales  of  cotton  that  was  Avortli 
sixty  cents  a  pound  in  Northern  markets. 

The  driver  had  been  so  careless  with  his 
work  and  so  lax  with  the  hands  that  Rodney 
found  plenty  of  things  demanding  his  atten- 


408  EODNEY,  THE   OVEESEER. 

tion,  but  lie  could  not  think  of  settling  down 
to  business  so  long  as  Dick  remained  with  liim. 
When  they  parted  it  might  be  forever,  and 
Rodney  was  reluctant  to  let  him  go.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin told  them  that  they  need  not  come  to  the 
city  under  a  week  expecting  to  hear  any  news 
from  the  mail  carrier,  but  they  did  not  wait  as 
long  as  that  without  hearing  news  from  an- 
other source,  and  of  the  most  exciting  charac- 
ter too.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after 
their  arrival  at  the  plantation,  Dick  looked 
over  Rodney's  shoulder  as  they  sat  at  the 
breakfast  table  in  the  wide  hall,  and  saw  half 
a  dozen  armed  men  ride  up  to  the  bars.  They 
stood  there  a  minute  or  two  looking  up  and 
down  the  road,  and  then  three  of  them  dis- 
mounted and  came  into  the  yard.  At  the  same 
instant  another  similar  squad  came  in  sight 
and  also  rode  up  and  stopped  at  the  bars. 

"Rebs  for  a  dollar,"  whispered  Dick. 

"And  not  Home  Guards,  either,"  replied 
Rodney,  as  the  two  arose  from  the  table  and 
walked  out  to  meet  the  visitors.  "  They  are 
strangers." 

"Well,"  said  the  foremost,  who  might  hav§ 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS,     409 

been  an  officer,  though  there  was  nothing  on 
his  coat  to  show  it,  "  how  does  it  come  that  a 
couple  of  likely  lads  like  yourselves  are  here 
in  citizen's  clothes  while  everybody  else  is  in 
the  army  ?" 

"  Been  there  and  came  home  to  take  a  little 
rest,"  answered  Rodney,  feeling  in  his  pocket 
for  his  discharge.  "  But  everybody  else  isn't 
in  the  army  by  a  long  shot,  as  you  would 
know  if  you  belonged  in  this  country.  Read 
that,  and  tell  me  if  you  are  out  conscripting." 

"We're  out  for  more  serious  business  than 
that,"  replied  the  soldier,  reading  the  dis- 
charges one  after  the  other,  and  handing  them 
back  to  their  owners.  "Any  Yanks  about 
here?" 

"None  nearer  than  Baton  Rouge  that  we 
know  of." 

"  How  large  an  army  have  they  got  there  ? " 

The  boys  were  obliged  to  say  they  couldn't 
tell ;  but  they  knew  that  General  Williams 
had  come  down  from  Yicksburg  with  his  whole 
force. 

"  We  know  that,  too,  and  are  following  him 
up  to  lick  him." 


410  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

We  don't  know  how  to  give  an  idea,  in 
words,  of  the  exclamation  that  broke  from 
Dick  Graham's  lips  when  he  heard  this.  It 
was  the  famous  "rebel  yell,"  long,  loud,  and 
piercing  ;  and  when  the  soldiers  at  the  bars 
heard  it  they  turned  in  their  saddles  and  lifted 
their  hats,  and  needed  no  other  evidence  to 
prove  that  Dick  was  or  had  been  one  of  them- 
selves. Then  Dick  demanded  if  there  was 
going  to  be  a  fight  right  there  in  his  friend's 
door-yard. 

"It'll  happen  somewhere  about  here,"  re- 
plied the  soldier.  "Better  find  guns,  you 
two,  and  join  in.  It's  bound  to  be  a  victory  for 
our  side  and  you  want  to  share  in  the  honor. 
We're  going  to  have  the  ArJcansas  to  help 
us,  and  she  is  a  match  for  all  the  vessels  the 
Yanks  have  in  the  river.  She  proved  it  by 
what  she  did  up  at  Yazoo." 

After  a  little  more  conversation  the  boys 
learned  that  their  visitor  belonged  to  Brecken- 
ridge's  division,  which  had  been  detached  from 
the  force  at  Vicksburg  as  soon  aS^  General 
Williams  withdrew  and  Farragut  started  down 
the  river,  and  they  were  simply  scouting  in 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS.     411 

advance  of  the  main  body,  whicli  was  to  be 
reinforced  by  all  the  conscripts  and  regular 
troops  at   Camp  Pinckney. 

"If  you  want  help,  why  don't  you  bring 
into  your  ranks  all  the  Home  Guards  around 
here?"  said  Rodney. 

"Are  there  Home  Guards  about  here?  I 
am  glad  to  know  it,  for  we  need  all  the  help 
we  can  raise.  AVho's  their  captain  and  where 
are  his  headquarters  ?  " 

Rodney  gave  the  desired  information,  add- 
ing that  if  his  visitor  did  not  think  it  safe  to 
venture  as  far  as  Mooreville  with  the  small 
force  at  his  command,  he  and  Dick  would  vol- 
unteer to  take  a  message  to  Captain  Randolph. 
"  But  you  will  have  to  put  it  in  writing,"  said 
he,  "for  Tom  will  not  believe  us.  And  you 
must  caution  him  against  letting  his  men 
know  that  there  is  going  to  be  a  fight ;  for  if 
they  find  that  out  they'll  scatter  like  rats  in  a 
pantry." 

"Like  Home  Guards  everywhere,"  replied 
the  soldier  in  disgust.  "I'll  tell  you  what 
I'll  do,"  said  he,  after  thinking  a  moment, 
"I'll  get  a  line  from  the  colonel  commanding 


412  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

our  advance  ordering  Captain  Randolph  to 
hold  his  company  in  readiness  to  march  at  a 
moment's  notice,  and  I'll  either  bring  or  send 
it  here  to-night  if  you  will  deliver  it.  Of 
course  you'll  not  say  anything  to  him  or  any- 
body else  that  will  get  to  the  enemy's  ears." 

"Oh,  you  needn't  think  to  surprise  the 
Yanks,"  exclaimed  Dick.  "  They  have  had 
notice  already  that  you  are  coming.  But  we'll 
get  Tom  out  if  we  can." 

The  soldier  asked  a  few  more  questions  that 
the  boys  could  not  answer  satisfactorily  touch- 
ing the  length,  shape,  and  strength  of  the 
Federal  lines  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  then  joined 
liis  men,  who  moved  down  the  road  toward 
Mooreville. 

"Did  you  forget  Captain  Roach  and  his 
conscripts  ?"  asked  Dick,  when  they  were  out 
of  sight. 

"  I  left  them  out  on  purpose,"  said  Rodney. 
"But  of  course  I  shall  speak  to  Roach  about 
it  when  we  take  that  note  to  Tom  Randolph. 
His  conscripts  are  all  my  near  neighbors,  and 
mostly  Union  men,  who  wouldn't  be  of  the 
least  use  in  a  fight;  and,  Dick,"  here  Rodney 


CAPTAIISr   RANDOLPH   EECEIVES   OKBEUS,     413 

sunk  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  "  if  I  can  do  it 
without  risk  to  myself,  I  shall  go  out  of  my 
way  to  warn  them  of  what's  coming," 

"'  Oh,  you  traitor  !  "  cried  Dick. 

"  You  would  do  the  same  if  you  were  in  my 
fix.  Of  course  there  are  some  I  would  not 
dare  speak  to,  for  they  would  tell  where  they 
got  the  information  ;  but  those  I  can  trust  to 
keep  a  still  tongue  in  their  heads  will  be 
warned,  if  I  can  find  them." 

The  boys  went  back  to  their  unfinished 
breakfast  and  ate  heartily,  as  they  had  often 
done  while  men  all  around  them  were  forming 
in  line  of  battle  and  shells  were  bursting  over 
their  heads.  But  still  Rodney  was  anxious, 
for  the  coming  contest  might  bring  great  loss 
to  his  father.  There  were  many  bales  of  cot- 
ton concealed  within  a  circle  of  a  few  miles 
of  the  place  where  he  was  sitting  ;  both  sides 
had  proclaimed  it  contraband  of  war,  and  it 
seemed  impossible  that  a  line  of  battle  could 
go  far  in  any  direction  without  discovering 
some  of  it  ;  and  the  destruction  of  part  would 
lead  to  the  destruction  of  the  whole,  for  some 
of  those  who  lost,  Mr.  Randolph  for  instance, 


414  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

would  be  mean  enoiigli  to  point  out  the  liid- 
ing-place  of  the  rest.  This  reflection  troubled 
Rodney,  but  before  he  sat  down  to  another 
meal  he  had  something  besides  cotton  to  think 
about.  The  scouts  of  the  opposing  armies 
came  together  down  the  road,  out  of  sight, 
but  within  plain  hearing  of  the  two  boys,  who 
ran  to  the  bars  and  listened  to  the  sounds  of 
the  conflict.  They  heard  the  sharp,  quick 
reports  of  the  carbines,  and  the  cheers  and 
yells  of  the  combatants ;  and  when  the  yells 
became  fainter  and  at  last  died  away  alto- 
gether, and  the  cheers  grew  in  volume  until 
they  became  one  continuous  cheer,  they 
looked  at  each  other  with  th«  same  startling 
question  in  their  eyes. 

"That's  the  first  encounter,  and  we're 
whipped,"  said  Dick.  "Now  if  the  victo- 
rious Yanks  come  back  this  way — then 
what?" 

"Our  discharges  and  passes  and  permits 
will  be  of  no  more  use  than  so  much  blank 
paper,"  answered  Rodney.  "They'll  say  that 
if  we  haven't  given  information  of  some  sort 
to  the  enemy  already,  we  will  do  it  the  first 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   KECEIVES   ORDERS.     415 

chance  we  get,  and  so  we'd  better  trot  right 
along  with  them  to  Baton  Rouge." 

"Tliat's  what  I  am  afraid  of.  I  don't  want 
to  go  to  Baton  Rouge." 

"  Neither  do  I  ;  and  so  I  am  going  to  do  as 
other  and  better  men  liave  done  under  similar 
circumstances." 

"Afoot  or  on  horseback?"  inquired  Dick, 
who  knew  that  his  friend  had  resolved  to  take 
to  the  woods. 

"  On  horseback,  to  save  our  animals  from 
being  stolen,  and  to  give  color  to  the  story 
that  we  have  gone  to  town,"  replied  Rodney. 
"  Come  on,  for  there's  no  telling  how  soon  the 
Yanks  may  come  down  the  road  at  a  gallop." 

While  one  started  for  the  stable  yard,  the 
other  ran  in  to  tell  his  black  housekeeper  that 
he  was  going  to  ride  toward  Mooreville,  where 
he  would  remain  until  the  Federals  had  left 
the  country.  Yes,  there  had  been  a  sharp 
skirmish  down  there  in  the  woods,  he  said  in 
reply  to  the  woman's  anxious  inquiries,  the 
Confederates  had  been  driven  from  the  field, 
and  he  and  Dick  thought  it  best  to  get  out  of 
sight  for  awhile. 


416  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"The  Federals  may  not  come  back  this 
way,"  added  Rodney,  "but  if  they  do,  tell 
the  truth  and  don't  try  to  pass  me  off  for  a 
Union  man.  They  know  as  well  as  you  do 
that  I  have  served  my  time  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and  there's  nothing  to  gain  by  telling  a 
different  story.  If  anyone  asks  for  me,  you 
can  say  that  I  have  ridden  toward  Mooreville." 

Well,  he  and  Dick  did  ride  toward  Moore- 
ville, but  they  did  not  go  there.  Not  know- 
ing how  far  the  darkeys  could  be  trusted, 
they  went  down  the  road  half  a  mile  or  so, 
and  turning  into  the  woods  hitched  their 
horses  close  together  so  that  they  would  not 
call  to  each  other,  and  finally  took  up  a  posi- 
tion from  which  they  could  see  the  house  and 
anybody  who  approached  it.  These  precau- 
tions were  not  taken  any  too  soon,  for  the 
Federals  did  scout  back  that  way,  and  when 
they  came  in  sight  they  were  riding  at  top 
speed.  They  knew  that  a  large  party  of  horse- 
men had  passed  along  the  road  before  them, 
for  they  saw  the  prints  of  many  hoofs  in  the 
dust.  Some  of  them  kept  on  without  drawing 
rein,  while  others  went  into  the  house  and  all 


CAPTAIN    RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS.      417 

over  it ;  but  as  no  contraband  goods  rewarded 
their  search  they  left  it  standing  when  tliey 
went  away.  And  although  the  hands  all  left 
their  work  in  the  field  and  ran  to  the  dwelling 
when  they  saw  the  blue-coats  surrounding  it, 
they  did  not  improve  the  opportunity  to  se- 
cure their  freedom,  as  the  boys  thought  they 
would.  They  returned  to  their  work  when 
the  soldiers  departed,  and  Rodney  and  Dick 
thought  it  safe  to  go  back  to  the  house. 

Their  next  visitor  was  a  single  Confederate 
soldier,  who  arrived  just  at  dusk  Avith  a  note 
addressed  to  "Captain  Thomas  Randolph, 
C.  S.  A.,  Commdg.  Mooreville  Troops."  This 
man  Rodney  took  into  the  house  and  fed  as  if 
he  had  been  a  long-lost  brother,  for  he  was 
anxious  to  learn  something  about  the  battle 
that  was  soon  to  take  place  ;  but,  although 
the  messenger  said  he  was  orderly  at  head- 
quarters, he  could  or  would  give  very  little 
information.  Breckenridge  was  rapidly  feel- 
ing his  way  toward  the  city,  he  said  ;  he  would 
soon  be  reinforced  by  the  command  of  General 
Ruggles,  which  would  be  picked  up  at  Camp 
Pinckney,  and   with  the  ArJcansas  to    help 

27 


418  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

and  clean  the  Yankee  gunboats  out  of  tlie 
river,  there  was  no  doubt  but  that  a  decisive 
victory  awaited  him  ;  and  having  finished  his 
supper,  and  said  all  he  had  to  say,  the  messen- 
ger mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off.  Five 
minutes  later  Rodney  and  Dick  had  mounted 
theirs  and  were  riding  hard  to  carry  that  note 
to  Captain  Randolph.  They  stopped  at  Rod- 
ney's home  just  long  enough  to  put  the  folks 
on  nettles  with  the  very  meagre  information 
they  had  to  give,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
afterward  were  sitting  in  Mrs.  Randolph's 
parlor,  waiting  for  Tom  to  show  himself. 
When  he  came  he  was  accomi^anied  by  his 
mother. 

"Hallo,  boys  !  "  exclaimed  Tom,  with  great 
apparent  cordiality,  while  Mrs.  Randolph 
shook  hands  with  them  one  after  the  other. 
''You  don't  know  how  I  have  longed  to  see 
you  both  in  order  to " 

"That's  all  right,"  interposed  Rodney,  who 
knew  there  wasn't  a  word  of  truth  in  what 
Tom  had  set  out  to  say.  "But  if  you  will 
excuse  me — here  is  an  order  that  I  was  re- 
quested to  place  in  your  hands." 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   KECEIVES   ORDEKS.     419 

"  Who's  got  any  right  to  order  me 
around?"  exclaimed  Tom,  taking  the  note 
and  fixing  his  gaze  upon  the  writing  on  the 
outside.  "  '  Captain  Thomas  Randolph, 
C.  S.  A.,'"  he  read  aloud.  "Somebody  has 
made  a  big  mistake,  for  I  don' t  belong  to  the 
army  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  never 
did.     What's  in  it?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Rodney;  Avhile 
Mrs.  Randolph  suggested  that  it  might  be  a 
good  plan  for  him  to  open  it  and  find  out. 
Tom  did  so  with  evident  reluctance,  and  be- 
fore he  had  fairly  had  time  to  make  himself 
master  of  its  contents,  he  turned  as  white 
as  a  sheet  and  fell  heavily  into  the  nearest 
chair. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  boy  !  What  is  the  matter  ? 
What  could  have  disturbed  you  so?"  cried 
his  mother,  who  was  really  alarmed. 

"  I'll  not  obey  it !  "  shouted  Captain  Tom,  as 
soon  as  he  could  speak.  "  Who  is  this  Colonel 
Clark,  who  takes  it  upon  himself  to  command 
me  to  hold  my  company  ready  to  move  at  a 
moment's  notice,  and  what  does  he  want  of 
the  company  anyhow?" 


420  KODNEY,  TUE   OVEIiSEER. 

"No    doubt    he  wants    fon  to   help " 

began  Rodney. 

"But  how  does  he  know  that  there  is  such 
a  fellow  as  I  am  in  the  world,  and  that  I  com- 
mand a  company  of  State  troops  ?  "  continued 
Tom,  who  was  almost  beside  himself  with 
terror.  Acting  on  his  own  responsibility  and 
serving  under  the  eye  of  a  Confederate  officer 
were  two  widely  different  things.  His  mother 
took  the  note  from  his  hand  and  read  it,  and 
she,  too,  became  visibly  aJffected. 

"What  can  be  the  meaning  of  it?"  she 
asked  of  Rodney. 

"It  means  that  there  is  going  to  be  a 
battle  somewhere  in  this  vicinity,  and  that 
Tom  must  bring  his  men  out  to  help,"  was 
the  reply.  Rodney  had  predicted  just  such 
a  scene  as  this  and  was  pre^iared  to  enjoy 
it. 

"  A  battle  ?  "  gasped  Mrs.  Randolph. 

"Somewhere  in  this  vicinity!"  echoed 
Tom. 

"  That's  what  they  tell  me,  and  indeed 
there  has  been  a  skirmish  already.  Brecken- 
ridse  is   comins;  here   to   drive  the  Yankees 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS.     421 

out  of  Baton  Ronge,  and  tlie  ArTcansas  is 
coming  to  assist  him," 

Tom  and  his  mother  were  too  amazed  to 
speak.  They  stared  stupidly  at  the  bearer  of 
these  evil  tidings,  and  listened  in  a  dazed  sort 
of  way  while  he  told  what  he  had  heard  and 
seen  since  morning.  There  was  one  thing  Tom 
and  his  mother  could  not  understand,  and  that 
was  how  Colonel  Clark,  whoever  he  might  be, 
knew  there  was  a  company  of  Home  Guards 
at  Mooreville  and  that  Tom  was  commander 
of  "them.  But  of  course  Rodney  did  not  en- 
lighten them  on  that  point. 

"  You  enlisted  for  just  such  work  as  this," 
said  he. 

"No,  I  didn't!"  shouted  Tom.  "And 
what's  more,  I  won't  go.  I'm  as  close  to  the 
Yankees  as  I  want  to  be,  and  besides  I  don't  be- 
long to  the  service  any  longer.     I'  ve  resigned." 

This  was  news  to  the  boys,  who  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  showing  how  surprised 
they  were  to  hear  it.  They  were  disappointed 
as  well,  for  if  Tom  told  the  truth  they  would 
lose  the  fun  of  hearing  how  he  took  to  the 
bushes  to  escape  duty. 


422  r.oDNEY,  THE  overseer. 

"  Of  course  if  your  resignation  has  been 
accepted  by  the  Governor,"  said  Rodney, 
"  why,  then " 

"  It  hasn't  been  accepted  yet,"  replied  Tom, 
speaking  before  he  thought.  "  I  only  sent  it 
to-day." 

"  Then  you  are  still  in  the  service  and  can  be 
held  to  duty,"  said  Dick;  and  Captain  Tom 
and  his  mother  both  heard  the  sigh  of  satisfac- 
tion that  escaped  him  as  he  uttered  the  words. 
"  I  have  known  men  to  go  into  action  and  be 
killed  after  their  term  of  service  expired." 

"But  I  won't  do  it,  I  bet  you,"  whined 
Tom,  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  "Do  you  think 
it  will  be  a  very  hard  fight  ?  " 

"It  can't  help  it;  it's  bound  to  be,  and 
you'll  see  more  dead  and  wounded  men  lying 

around  than  you Gracious !     I'm    glad 

the}''  can't  call  on  you  and  me,  Dick." 

"Why,  won't  you  have  to  go?"  faltered 
Mrs.  Randolph. 

"No,  ma'am.  We  showed  our  discharges 
to-day,  and  they  never  said  a  word  about 
ordering  us  out.  They  can't,  for  we  have 
served  our  time." 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS.     423 

This  was  tlie  heaviest  blow  yet,  and  Captain 
Tom  came  so  near  wilting  under  it  that  Rod- 
ney's heart  smote  him  and  he  determined  to 
take  his  leave.  So  he  got  upon  his  feet,  and 
Dick  followed  his  example. 

"What  will  they  do  to  Tom  if  he  fails  to 
obey  this  order?"  asked  Mrs.  Randolph,  who, 
in  all  the  trying  ordeals  through  which  she 
had  passed  on  her  cowardly  son's  account, 
had  never  before  been  so  badly  frightened. 

"I  couldn't  obey  it  if  I  wanted  to,"  cried 
Tom.  "My  men  are  scattered  for  miles 
through  the  country,  and  I  couldn't  spend 
the  night  in  hunling  them  up." 

"  They  may  call  it  disobedience  of  orders  if 
you  don't  do  it,"  replied  Rodney,  who  wanted 
to  laugh.  "If  I  were  in  your  place  I  would 
make  the  effort." 

"And  run  the  risk  of  being  shot?  But 
suppose  my  men  refuse  to  turn  out?"  said 
Tom,  a  bright  idea  coming  into  his  mind. 

"Then  you  will  be  blameless,  and  all  you 
have  to  do  will  be  to  report  to  the  colonel  and 
tell  him  that  you  are  ready  for  any  duty  he 
may  assign  you." 


424  llODNET,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"And  can't  I  stay  at  home  any  way  I  can 
fix  it?"  inquired  Tom,  who  made  no  effort  to 
conceal  his  terror, 

"  I  wouldn't.  What  if  some  of  the  colonel's 
troopers  should  find  you  skulking  here  when 
you  ought  to  be  in  the  front  rank  ?  Or  sup- 
pose the  battle  should  be  fought  on  your 
plantation.     Wouldn't  you " 

"Baton  Rouge  is  not  on  our  plantation." 

"  I  know,  but  a  battle  sometimes  ends  a 
good  many  miles  from  where  it  begins,  and 
the  one  that's  coming  is  as  likely  to  be  fought 
here  as  anywhere  else.  And  if  that  should 
happen,  wouldn't  you  rather  have  a  musket 
in  your  hands  than  go  skulking  through  the 
bushes  trying  to  keep  out  of  danger?  I  would 
a  hundred  times  over.  But  really  we  must  be 
going.     Good-night." 

Rodney  and  his  companion  bowed  them- 
selves to  the  door  and  went  out,  and  Captain 
Tom  and  his  mother  sat  in  their  chairs  looking 
at  each  other  and  listening  to  the  clatter  of 
the  receding  hoofs.  When  it  died  away 
altogether  Tom  jumped  to  his  feet  in  great 
excitement. 


CAPTAIISr   RAT^DOLPII   RECEIVES   ORDERS.     425 

"We  never  once  tlionglit  to  ask  tliem 
where  tliey  got  that  order,  or  why  it  was  sent 
by  their  hands  instead  of  by  the  hands  of  one 
of  that  colonel's  own  men,"  he  fairly  sput- 
tered. "Mother,  it's  an  infamous  trick,  and 
there  isn't  going  to  be  any  fight.  I'll  remem- 
ber Rodney  Gray  for  this  and  other  things  he 
has  done  to  me — you  see  if  I  don't!  " 

"I  hope  you  are  duly  ashamed  of  yourself 
for  frightening  that  poor  woman  so  terribly," 
said  Dick,  as  he  and  Rodney  galloped  out  of 
the  yard  and  turned  their  horses  toward  the 
village. 

"Why  didn't  she  stay  out  of  the  room?" 
retorted  Rodney.  "  We  sent  in  word  that  we 
desired  to  see  Captain  Tom  privately,  but  she 
didn't  take  the  hint.  So  Tom  thought  he 
couldn't  spend  the  night  in  riding  about  the 
country.  Well,  we've  got  to,  if  we  do  the 
work  we  set  out  to  do." 

The  first  part  of  that  work  was  to  call  upon 
Captain  Roach,  who  had  excited  Tom  Ran- 
dolph's ire  by  accepting  Rodney's  invitation 
to  dinner,  and  the  next  to  warn  some  of  the 
Union  men  whom  he  had  conscripted.     The 


42G  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

former  was  overwhelmed  with  surprise  and 
didn't  know  what  to  do,  not  being  a  veteran  ; 
but  he  wasn't  a  coward,  if  he  did  turn  white. 
He  talked  the  matter  over  veiy  calmly  with 
his  visitors,  and  following  their  advice  said  he 
would  droj)  the  conscript  business  until  the 
battle  had  been  decided  one  way  or  the  other. 
And  then  he  looked  helplessly  at  Rodney  as 
if  to  ask  what  he  should  do  next. 

"You  ought  to  do  duty  or  shed  that  uni- 
form," said  the  boy  bluntly.  "You  can't 
assemble  your  conscripts  now,  and  if  you 
could,  where  would  you  find  men  to  guard 
them  to  Camp  Pinckney  ?  You  can  only  show 
your  good- will  by  reporting  at  the  camp  ;  and 
if  I  were  in  your  place,  I  think  I  should  start 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  If  you  delay, 
you  will  be  liable  to  be  cut  off  by  Federal 
scouting  parties.  Have  you  seen  any  Yanks 
about  here  to-day?" 

Captain  Roach  re^Dlied  that  he  hadn't  seen 
or  heard  of  any,  and  Rodney  went  on  to  tell 
about  the  skirmish  that  had  taken  place  near 
his  plantation,  and  how  he  and  Dick  had 
taken  to  the  woods  and  escaped  being  caught 


CAPTAIN   RANDOLPH   RECEIVES   ORDERS.     427 

in  the  house.  The  Federals  couldn't  prove 
anything  against  them,  he  said,  but  they  could 
shut  them  up  in  Baton  Rouge  until  Brecken- 
ridge  captured  it  or  was  driven  back  where  he 
came  from,  and  that  was  something  he  didn't 
want  them  to  do.  Then  he  and  Dick  shook 
hands  with  the  enrolling  officer,  wished  him 
good  luck,  and  went  out  into  the  night  to 
finish  their  work.  It  kept  them  busy  until 
daylight,  and  then  they  went  to  Mr.  Gray's  to 
breakfast,  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  they 
had  done  as  they  would  be  done  by,  and  not 
one  who  wished  them  harm  was  the  wiser 
for  it.  - 

Tom  Randolph  was  hardly  out  of  bed  the 
next  morning  before  he  was  made  aware 
that  there  was  some  truth  in  Rodney  Gray's 
story.  A  squad  of  Federal  cavalry  went  by 
the  house  on  a  keen  jump,  and  about  an  hour 
behind  them  a  larger  squad  of  Confederates 
went  past  at  the  same  rapid  gait.  Tom  wasn't 
soldier  enough  to  know  that  these  were  noth- 
ing but  scouts,  and  in  his  ignorance  supposed 
that  the  battle  had  been  fought  Avliile  he  was 
asleep,  and  that  the  Confederates  had  driven 


428  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

their  antagonists  ;  but  it  was  not  long  before 
he  discovered  that  the  worst  was  yet  to  come. 
All  that  day  soldiers  in  gray  uniforms  were 
in  sight  somewhere.  Thej^  streamed  by  the 
house  or  came  into  the  yard  and  gathered 
about  the  well,  and  an  officer  with  high  top- 
boots  and  a  fierce  mustache  stood  on  the  front 
gallery  and  issued  orders  in  a  voice  that 
sounded  as  loud  as  a  fog-horn.  They  trami)led 
down  the  flower  beds,  cleared  the  cellar  of 
everything  eatable,  and  helped  themselves  to 
what  there  was  in  the  kitchen,  and  through 
it  all,  the  captain  of  the  Home  Guards  never 
showed  himself.  Some  of  the  time  he  was  in 
the  garret,  oftener  he  was  imder  the  bed  in  his 
mother's  room,  and  then  again  his  frightened 
eyes  were  peeping  through  the  carefully  closed 
blinds.  He  had  never  dreamed  that  there 
were  so  many  men  in  an  army,  and  yet  he  saw 
but  one  column  of  a  very  small  army,  for 
Breckenridge  made  his  assault  with  less  than 
4000  men.  To  his  immense  relief  no  one  asked 
for  him,  and  perhaps  the  reason  was  because 
Colonel  Clark,  who'wrote  that  order,  was  with 
the  other  column,  five  or  six  miles  away. 


CAPTAIN   KANDOLPIl   RECEIVES   OEDERS.     420 

The  attack  on  Baton  Rouge  was  made  the 
next  morning  at  daylight,  and  although  Rod- 
ney and  Dick  heard  little  of  it  and  saw  less, 
they  had  some  hospital  work  on  their  hands. 
The  heat  was  intense,  and  everywhere  along 
the  line  of  march  men  fell  exhausted  out  of  the 
ranks,  and  were  taken  in  and  cared  for  by  the 
planters.  Rodney's  house  and  door-yard  were 
filled  with  soldiers  who  could  not  go  any 
farther  toward  the  enemy,  although  they  re- 
covered their  strength  and  power  of  action 
very  suddenly  when  it  became  known  that 
there  was  a  possibility  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
coming  toward  them.  The  attack,  which  was 
so  successf  nl  at  first  that  the  Federal  camps 
were  captured  or  burned,  failed  utterly  in  the 
end,  and  at  noon  the  fight  was  over  and  the 
Confederates  were  in  fall  retreat.  The  Arkan- 
sas did  not  come  down  to  help  with  her  big 
guns,  and  if  she  had  she  might  have  met  a 
warmer  reception  than  she  bargained  for,  for 
there  were  five  gunboats  in  the  river,  includ- 
ing the  iron-clad  Essex,  These  took  an  earnest 
part  in  the  fight  while  waiting  for  the  Arkan- 
sas, their  fire  being  directed  by  an  army  sig- 


430  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

nal  officer  who  stood  on  the  roof  of  the  capitol 
building.  The  Confederates  were  so  badly 
whipped  that  they  left  seventy  men  on  the 
the  field  for  the  Union  forces  to  bury. 

The  closing  scene  of  the  fight  was  enacted 
the  next  morning.  The  ^ssex. went  up  the 
river  six  miles,  found  the  terrible  Arkansas, 
with  her  ten  heavy  guns  and  180  jDicked  men, 
hard  and  fast  aground,  and  pounded  her  so 
severely  that  in  fifteen  minutes  she  w^as  set  on 
fire  and  abandoned.  She  blew  up  when  the 
fire  reached  her  magazine,  but  she  left  others 
behind  which  made  themselves  known  and 
feared  before  the  war  was  over. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONCLUSION". 

THIS  short  visit  of  the  Confederate  army 
was  lilve  a  plague  of  locusts  ;  everything 
in  the  shape  of  eatables  in  and  around  Moore- 
ville  that  they  could  place  their  hands  on  dis- 
appeared and  was  never  heard  of  afterward. 
Some  articles  of  value  disappeared  likewise,  as 
was  to  have  been  expected ;  but  not  very  many, 
for  the  settlers  had  learned  that  it  was  best  to 
be  careful  of  such  things  during  war  times. 
No  one  had  seen  a  Home  Guard  during  those 
two  troublous  days,  nobody  could  tell  where 
Captain  Randolph  had  kept  himself  or  how  he 
had  behaved,  and  neither  was  there  any  news 
to  be  had  of  Captain  Roach. 

Our  two  friends  drew  a  long  breatli  of  re- 
lief when  "  the  fuss"  was  over,  congratulated 
themselves  on  having  escaped  both  duty  and 
suspicion,  and  waited  with  what  patience  they 
could  for  the  excitement  to  pass  away  so  that 

431 


4b2  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

it  would  be  safe  for  them  to  go  into  tlie  city. 
But  that  time  seemed  long  in  coming.  In= 
quisitive  Federal  scouts,  who  asked  trouble- 
some questions  and  insisted  on  knowing  all 
about  everything,  came  to  the  house  every 
day,  and  on  three  occasions  wounded  Con- 
federate stragglers  appealed  to  their  pity  and 
begged  assistance.  Nor  were  these  appeals 
made  in  vain,  though  the  boys  took  great 
risks  in  concealing  their  Confederate  friends 
during  the  day  and  helping  them  on  their 
road  at  night.  They  deceived  their  neighbors, 
hoodwinked  the  darkeys  they  were  afraid  to 
trust,  and  told  gauzy  stories  to  Federal  scouts 
until  Dick  affirmed  that  deceiving  and  lying 
would  become  a  confirmed  habit  with  them. 
But  fortunately  the  necessity  for  these  things 
passed  away  before  that  happened.  The 
country  was  cleared  of  stragglers  after  a  while, 
the  settlement  quieted  down,  and  Rodney  and 
Dick  were  ready  for  the  next  thing  on  the 
programme. 

"I  don't  know  when  I  have  had  so  hard  a 
task  set  before  me,"  said  Rodney,  "and  I 
would  be  glad  to  put  it  off  forever  if  I  could. 


coisrcLusiOT^.  433 

jBiit  since  the  parting  must  come,  it  might  as 
well  be  one  time  as  another.  Shall  we  start 
for  the  city  to-morrow  morning?" 

Dick  answered  with  a  decided  affirmative, 
and  the  start  was  made.  Believing  that  he 
ought  to  be  ready  to  act  as  soon  as  the  oppor- 
tunity was  presented,  he  took  leave  of  Rod- 
ney's father  and  mother  as  though  he  never 
expected  to  see  them  again,  and  Rodney  drew 
on  the  family  purse  for  a  good  many  gold 
pieces.  If  Dick  succeeded  in  getting  across 
the  river  he  would  still  have  a  long  Journey 
before  him — longer  than  the  one  Rodney  made 
from  Cedar  Blaff  landing  to  Price's  army — 
and  he  would  need  a  horse  to  ride,  a  coat  and 
blanket  to  cover  him  when  he  camped  at  night, 
and  money  to  purchase  his  supplies ;  and  his 
friend's  forethought  provided  for  all  these 
necessary  things. 

On  their  way  to  Baton  Rouge  they  ]3assed 
over  the  ground  on  which  the  right  wing  of 
the  Confederate  force  formed  in  line  of  battle 
previous  to  the  assault.  It  was  just  beyond 
Mr.  TarnbuU's  house;  and  that  gentleman's 
wife,  after  giving  a  glowing  description  of  the 

28 


434        EODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

gallant  way  in  which  the  Confederates  ad- 
vanced to  the  attack,  told  the  boys  in  a 
confidential  whisper  that  she  had  aided  two 
Yankees  who  were  captured  and  managed  to 
, escape  during  the  fight ;  that  there  was  a 
wounded  rebel  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms  of 
her  house  at  that  moment ;  that  he  was  going 
to  remain  there  until  he  was  able  to  travel ; 
and  that  one  of  the  escaped  prisoners  whom 
Rodney  befriended  had  smuggled  medicine 
through  the  lines  for  him  at  her  request,  thus 
proving  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  grati- 
tude in  the  world.  Before  the  boys  left  the 
house,  they  visited  the  wounded  rebel  in  his 
room,  and  he  told  them  that  the  fight  was  the 
most  savagely  contested  of  any  he  had  ever 
been  in,  and,  for  the  number  of  men  engaged, 
the  bloodiest.  Some  of  the  Indiana  and 
Michigan  boys  fought  with  rails  which  they 
snatched  from  the  fences,  nnd  the  Yank  who 
smuggled  the  medicine  out  for  him  said  he 
had  counted  thirteen  dead  rebs  in  one  heap. 
"It  was  bad  for  our  side,"  moaned  the 
wounded  soldier,  "and  even  if  the  Arlcansas 
had  been  there  to  help  us  I  don't  suj^pose  we 


CONCLUSION.  435 

would  have  made  any  better  showing.  The 
Yanks  had  things  fixed  for  us,  and  now  I've 
got  to  hobble  through  the  world  on  one  leg." 

Although  some  stray  missiles  from  the  Con- 
federate side  found  their  way  into  the  streets 
of  the  city,  the  boys  did  not  find  there  as 
many  signs  of  the  conflict  as  they  expected 
to  see.  Mr.  Martin's  buildings  escaped  un- 
scathed, but  Mr.  Martin  himself  had  been 
placed  in  arrest  to  prevent  him  from  holding 
any  communication  with  the  enemy. 

"  As  if  I  ever  dreamed  of  doing  such  a  fool- 
ish thing  !  "  said  he  contemptuously.  "  Why, 
I  want  to  live  here  ;  and  consequently  I  do 
nothing  that  I  consider  to  be  risky.  But  I 
have  seen  the  mail  carrier,  and  he  is  going  to 
pick  up  some  bags  this  very  night." 

"Pick  them  up!"  repeated  Rodney. 
"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"Out  in  the  country  somewhere,  and  he  is 
out  there  too,  or  will  be  at  eight  o'clock  ; 
and  if  your  friend  wants  to  go,  now's  his 
chance." 

"  Mr.  Martin,  I  hope  your  kind  efforts  in  my 
behalf  will  not  bring  you  into  trouble  with  the 


486  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Yanks,"  said  Dick.  "  I  feel  very  grateful  to 
you." 

But  lie  didn't  look  so,  and  neither  did  Rod- 
ney, The  time  when  they  must  part  was  close 
at  hand. 

"I  don't  Avant  to  hurry  you  away,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Martin,  "but  as  it  will  take  some 
little  time  to  ride  to  the  place  to  which  I  shall 
direct  yon,  you  had  better  liave  your  horses 
out  of  the  stable  at  five  o'clock,  so  as  to  pass 
the  pickets  before  dark.  I  will  give  you  a 
letter  that  will  make  you  all  right  with 
Henderson." 

The  rest  of  the  day,  to  quote  from  Dick 
Graham,  flew  away  as  if  the  hours  had  been 
greased.  Half-past  four  came  before  they 
knew  it,  and  with  it  the  letter  their  host  had 
promised  them,  accompanied  by  some  instruc- 
tions which  they  must  closely  follow  in  order 
to  find  and  obtain  an  interview  with  Hender- 
son, He  was  a  cross,  crabbed  old  fellow.  Mi-. 
Martin  said,  but  the  boys  mustn't  mind  that. 
They  would  be  cross  and  suspicious  too,  if 
they  had  been  bothered  and  balked  in  their 
business  as  Henderson  had  been  followed  and 


CONCLUSION.  437 

harassed  in  his.  They  must  try  and  get  on 
the  right  side  of  him,  for  he  could  take  Dick 
to  the  other  side  if  anybody  could.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin excused  himself  for  not  accompanying 
them  to  the  stable  where  they  left  their  horses 
by  saying  that  to  be  seen  walking  the  streets 
with  a  suspected  man  would  bring  suspicion 
upon  them,  and  that  was  one  thing  they 
wanted  to  avoid. 

The  boys  left  the  city  and  the  pickets  behind 
in  good  season,  and  took  pains  to  make  some 
noise  as  they  galloped  past  the  houses  of 
three  "converted  rebels"  who,  so  Mr.  Martin 
said,  were  always  watching  and  scheming  for 
a  chance  to  report  somebody.  They  rode  as  if 
they  were  going  home  ;  but  when  darkness 
came  they  doubled  upon  their  trail,  passed 
these  same  houses  again  in  silence,  and  turned 
into  a  lane  that  took  them  miles  up  the  river 
to  the  hiding-place  of  Henderson,  the  mail 
carrier.  They  found  it  to  be  a  pretentious 
plantation  house  situated  in  plain  view  of  the 
river,  and  not  at  all  such  a  spot  as  they  would 
have  chosen  had  they  been  engaged  in  Hender- 
son's  business.     It  would  have  been  impossible 


438  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

to  surprise  the  mail  carrier  in  liis  hiding-place, 
however,  as  tliey  found  wlien  they  approached 
nearer  to  it,  for  they  had  barely  time  to  shout 
out  the  customary  "  Hallo,  the  house  !  Don't 
let  your  dogs  bite  !  "  before  their  horses  were 
surrounded  by  a  pack  of  belligerent  canines, 
whose  angry  yelping  completely  drowned  the 
voice  of  the  master  of  the  house. 

"  Get  out !  "  he  shouted,  as  soon  as  he  could 
make  himself  heard  above  the  tumult.  "  Who 
is  it,  and  what's  wanted?" 

"Friends  from  the  city,"  replied  Rodney, 
who  had  been  told  just  what  to  say.  "  I  have 
a  communication  for  Mr.  Henderson  from  our 
mutual  friend  Mr.  Martin.  Will  you  look  at 
it?" 

The  planter  came  down  to  the  gate,  took  the 
letter  from  Rodney's  hand,  looking  sharply  at 
him  and  Dick  as  he  did  so,  and  carried  it  into 
the  house  with  him.  He  did  not  ask  them  to 
"alight  and  hitch,"  and  that  proved  that 
there  was  something  or  somebody  in  the 
house  he  did  not  want  the  boys  to  see.  It 
was  all  of  ten  minutes  before  he  canfle  out 
again,  and  he  brought  with  him  a  companion 


CONCLUSION.  439 

wlio  straightway  made  himself  known  by  say- 
ing, in  a  complaining  voice  : 

"I  told  Martin  I  couldn't  do  the  like,  and 
here  he's  gone  and  sent  you,  just  as  if  I  had 
agreed  to  do  it.  Which  one  of  you  is  the 
fool?" 

"I  am  the  one  who  wants  to  go  over 
the  river,  if  you  will  be  kind  enough  to 
let  me  have  a  seat  in  your  boat,"  replied 
Dick. 

"Who  said  anything  about  a  boat?"  de- 
manded Mr.  Henderson,  for  the  boys  were 
sure  it  was  he.  "  Do  you  want  to  be  captured 
by  the  gunboats,  and  sent  up  for  a  spy  or  some- 
thing ?  I  don't  expect  to  get  back  alive,  or 
get  across,  either.  But  then  !  Martin's  a  friend 
of  mine  and  keeps  me  jiosted  in  some  tilings 

I Get    off,  both    of    you.      Hitch    your 

horses  somewhere  and  wait  till  I  come." 

"  Dick,  you're  as  good  as  off  at  last,"  whis- 
pered Rodney,  as  the  two  men  turned  about 
and  went  back  to  the  house.  "Think  of  me 
riding  all  the  way  to  Mr.  Turnbull's  alone  in 
the  dark  while  you  are  running  the  risk  of 
being  overhauled  by  the  naval  picket  boats. 


440  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

Have  you  got  your  money  and  discharge  all 
right  ?  Write  to  me  if  you  see  the  ghost  of  a 
chance  for  a  letter  to  get  through,  for  I  shall 
be  anxious  to  hear  from  my  old  Barrington 
chum." 

The  boys  had  plenty  to  say  to  each  other 
and  an  abundance  of  time  to  say  it  in,  for  a 
whole  hour  passed  before  the  mail  carrier 
again  came  out.  This  time  he  had  two  men 
with  him — the  planter  and  another  passenger, 
the  latter  being  muffled  up  to  the  eyes  so  that 
no  one  could  have  seen  his  face  if  it  had  been 
broad  daylight.  He  said  not  a  word,  but  the 
mail  carrier  did,  and  Rodney  was  gratified  to 
notice  that  he  was  as  careful  to  conceal  Dick's 
identity  as  he  was  that  of  his  other  passenger. 

"Come  on,  you  Moses,"  said  he,  "and  re- 
member that  you  are  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind. 
You,  Jonas,  get  on  your  horse  and  clear  your- 
self." 

It  would  have  done  no  good  to  prolong  the 
leave-taking,  and  Rodney  was  glad  to  have  it 
broken  off  so  abruptly.  He  gave  his  friend's 
hand  a  final  squeeze  and  shake,  and  when  he 
came  into  the  road  again  a  moment    later, 


CONCLUSION.  441 

riding  one  liorse  and  leading  the  other,  there 
was  no  one  in  sight. 

The  way  home  was  a  long  and  lonely  one  to 
Rodney  Gray,  who  felt  as  if  the  last  tie  that 
bound  him  to  his  school  days  had  been  sun- 
dered forever.  He  got  through  without  any 
trouble,  although  he  met  some  inquisitive 
people  who  wanted  to  know  how  he  happened 
to  have  a  riderless  horse  with  him,  passed  one 
night  at  his  father's  house,  and  in  due  time 
was  back  in  his  old  quarters  on  the  upper 
plantation,  where  he  had  spent  so  many  pleas- 
ant hours  with  the  absent  Dick.  But  before 
he  had  leisure  to  look  about  and  tell  himself 
how  very  lonesome  he  was,  he  had  visitors, 
one  of  whom  threw  him  into  a  terrible  state  of 
mind  before  he  left.  They  were  a  squad  of 
the  — til  Michigan  boys,  and  commanded  by 
the  corporal  who  had  once  taken  him  prisoner, 
and  whose  name  he  had  never  heard.  They 
good-naturedly  demanded  all  the  weapons  he 
had,  and  threatened  to  go  through  his  house 
if  he  didn't  trot  them  right  out;  but  when 
they  went  to  the  well  for  water  the  corporal 
drew  off  on  one  side,  intimating  by  a  look 


442  KODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

that  lie  liad  sometliing  to  say  to  Rodney  in 
private. 

"  Wliere's  your  partner?"  were  tlie  first 
words  lie  said  wlien  tliey  were  alone. 

"  Gone  over  the  river,"  answered  Rodney. 

"  How  long  since  ? " 

"  He  went  night  before  last." 

"Well,  I'll  bet  you  a  hard-tack  he  didn't 
make  it.  Some  of  your  good  friends  were  the 
means  of  stopping  him.  You  see,"  he  went 
on,  without  giving  the  astonished  Rodney  time 
to  speak,  "Ben  and  another  boy,  who  were 
in  my  party  when  you  and  Griffin  did  so  much 
for  us,  scouted  down  RandoljDh's  way  a  few 

days  after  the  fight,  and  that  Home  Guard 

You  made  a  big  blunder  when  you  stuck  to 
us  till  we  let  him  go.  Now  he's  gone  back  on 
you." 

"What  has  he  done?"  inquired  Rodney, 
who  told  himself  that  that  was  just  what  he 
expected  from  Tom  Randolph. 

"  Why,  Ben  distinctly  heard  him  tell  one  of 
our  officers  that  a  bearer  of  despatches  would 
go  from  Moore ville  in  a  few  days,  intending  to 
cross  the  river  at  Baton  Rouge,  where  he  had 


CONCLUSION.  443 

friends  to  help  liim,"  said  the  corporal,  "Of 
course  the  matter  was  reported  at  headquar- 
ters, and  the  houses  of  all  the  Secession  sj^m- 
pathizers  in  the  city  were  watched  closer  than 
ever." 

"Was  Mr.  Martin's  house  watched,  do  you 
know?" 

"Why,  certainly.  He  is  always  watched, 
and  we  had  him  under  arrest  during  the  fight." 

"And  I  was  simple  enough  to  tell  the  prov- 
ost marshal  that  that  house  would  be  my 
stopping-place  as  often  as  I  came  to  the  city," 
groaned  Rodney. 

"You  needn't  blame  yourself  for  that,  for 
I  don' t  suppose  it  made  a  particle  of  differ- 
ence," said  the  corporal  soothingly.  "The 
provost  marshal  would  have  found  it  out 
sooner  or  later,  because  it  is  a  part  of  his  busi- 
ness to  find  out  where  every  stranger  lives,  and 
what  he  does  while  inside  the  lines.  If  you 
went  there  with  your  friend  Graham " 

"I  did,"  whispered  Rodney.  "And  we 
went  from  there  up  to — up  to " 

"Henderson's?  Well,  he's  watched,  too; 
and  if  one  is  cauo:ht  the  other  will  be." 


444  EODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

"If  Tom  Randolpli  has  got  Dick  Graliam 
into  trouble  I  will  see  that  he  is  well  punished 
for  it,"  said  Rodney  angrily, 

"If  he  hasn't,  it  isn't  because  he  didn't 
try.  If  you  say  the  word,  I  will  go  straight  to 
his  house  and  arrest  him  for  a  Home  Guard." 

"No,  no;  don't  do  that.  I  am  not  coward 
enough  to  take  revenge  on  him  in  that  way. 
But  since  he  has  made  his  boast  that  he  is 
willing  to  die  for  the  South,  I  will  see  that  he 
has  all  the  chance  he  wants." 

"  Well,  my  boys  seem  to  have  had  their  fill 
of  water,  so  we'll  jog  along,"  said  the  cor- 
poral. "  If  the  Home  Guards  bother  you  let 
us  know,  and  we'll  clean  them  out  to  the  last 
man.     Good-by." 

Astonished  at  the  extent  of  the  corporal's 
information,  and  wondering  how  it  was  possi- 
ble for  any  Southern  sympathizer  to  live  in 
Baton  Rouge  when  he  knew  that  he  was  so 
closely  watched,  Rodney  went  into  the  house 
as  soon  as  the  soldiers  rode  away,  and  sat 
down  to  write  a  letter.  As  a  general  thing  his 
thoughts  came  rai)idly  and  it  was  no  trouble 
for  him  to  put  them  on  paper  ;   but  this  par- 


CONCLUSION.  445 

ticular  letter  seemed  to  bother  him,  for  he 
made  three  copies  of  it  before  he  got  it  to  suit 
him.  Then  he  ordered  his  horse  brought  to 
the  door,  changed  his  working  clothes  for  a 
business  suit,  and  galloped  off  in  the  direction 
of  Mooreville.  He  stopped  at  his  home  "just 
long  enough  to  let  his  mother  see  that  he  was 
all  right"  and  then  rode  on  again,  but  not 
toward  Mooreville  or  the  river.  There  was  no 
one  at  either  place  whom  he  w^anted  to  see 
that  day,  but  he  did  want  to  have  a  few 
earnest  words  with  General  Ruggles,  if  he 
could  find  him.  During  the  fight  the  general 
commanded  the  Confederate  column  that  came 
from  Camp  Pinckney,  and  there  was  where 
Rodney  hoped  to  find  him  now.  Before  he 
had  ridden  a  dozen  miles  into  the  country  he 
ran  into  a  small  party  of  rebels,  who  looked  at 
his  discharge,  and  encouraged  him  by  saying 
that  the  ofiicer  he  desired  to  see  commanded 
the  camp,  and  was  recruiting  men  as  rai)idly 
as  he  could  for  some  special  service  that  was 
to  be  performed  up  about  Holly  Springs. 

"  I  know  by  experience  that  special  service 
"usually   means   dangerous   service,"    thought 


446        RODNEY,  THE  OVERSEER. 

Rodney,  as  be  rode  on  liis  way.  "If  Tom 
Randolph  really  wants  to  do  something  for 
the  South,  he  will  jump  at  the  chance  of  going 
to  Holly  Springs." 

Camp  Pinckney  looked  just  as  it  did  when 
he  and  Dick  Graham  ran  the  guard  there  on 
their  way  home,  only  there  were  more  men 
who  were  being  made  into  soldiers,  and  the 
number  was  being  increased  every  day  by  the 
disconsolate  and  homesick  conscripts  who 
were  sent  there  from  all  the  districts  in  that 
part  of  the  State.  Rodney  was  shown  at  once 
into  the  presence  of  the  commander,  and  knew, 
before  he  had  exchanged  a  dozen  words  with 
him,  that  he  would  have  no  nse  for  the  letter 
he  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  write. 

"I  can  attend  to  the  business  myself  with- 
out any  aid  from  the  Governor,"  said  General 
Rnggles,  who  looked  more  like  a  hard-work- 
ing farmer  than  he  did  like  a  brave  and  skil- 
ful soldier.  "The  slip-shod  manner  in  Avhich 
recruiting  has  been  done  in  this  district  is 
enough  to  make  one  forget  the  third  command- 
ment. There  hasn't  been  a  single  man  sent  to 
this  camp  from  your  neighborhood." 


CONCLUSION".  447 

"I  am  aware  of  it,  sir.  But  as  these  men 
belong  to  the  State  and  not  to  the  Confed- 
eracy, I  thought  perhaps " 

"There's  no  need  of  it,  sir,"  interrupted 
the  general.  "  I  have  all  the  authority  I  want, 
and  can  do  the  business  without  saying  a  word 
to  the  Governor.  Sent  in  his  resignation,  has 
he?  Captain — Thomas — Randolph,"  he  con- 
tinued, writing  the  name  on  a  slip  of  paper. 
"And  it  has  not  yet  been  accepted?  And 
how  many  men  do  you  think  he  has  in  his 
company?  All  right.  You  go  home  and  say 
nothing  to  anybody,  and  I  will  put  him  where 
he  will  meet  something  besides  unarmed  men 
and  women  and  children." 

His  business  having  been  transacted  to  his 
entire  satisfaction,  Rodney  was  in  no  particular 
haste  to  go  home.  He  made  friends  with  one 
of  the  veterans  who  composed  the^camp  guard, 
ate  supper  with  him,  and  slept  nnder  half  his 
blanket  that  night ;  but  the  morning's  sun 
saw  him  well  on  his  return  journey.  He  made 
a  wide  circuit  to  avoid  passing  through  Moore- 
ville,  and  did  not  go  near  his  father's  house 
for  fear  it  might  be  remembered  against  him  at 


448  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

some  future  time.  He  went  home  as  rapidly 
as  he  could  go,  unsaddled  his  horse  and 
turned  him  into  the  stable-yard,  and  went  into 
the  house ;  and  there,  seated  in  Rodney's 
favorite  rocking  chair,  with  his  feet  upon  the 
back  of  another  and  a  book  in  his  hand,  was — 
Dick  Graham. 

"  You've  got  cheek  !  Why  didn't  you  come 
out  when  you  heard  me  at  the  bars?"  ex- 
claimed Rodney,  as  soon  as  he  found  his 
tongue. 

"Because  I  thought  you  would  prefer  to 
come  in  and  find  me,"  replied  Dick  ;  and  then 
he  dropped  his  book  and  jumped  to  his  feet, 
and  the  two  embraced  each  other  scjioolboy 
fashion. 

"O  Dick,  you  don't  know  how  I  have  wor- 
ried about  you,"  said  Rodney.  "And  Tom 
Randolph  was  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  You 
would  have  been  watched  if  he  hadn't  said  a 
word  ;  but  what  I  mean  is  that  he  made  mat- 
ters worse.  I  have  paid  him  for  it,  however. 
Now  tell  me  all  about  it." 

'•  We  didn't  succeed,  and  that's  all  there  is 
to  tell,"  answered  Dick.     "We  made  six  at- 


CONCLUSION.  449 

tempts  on  two  different  niglits,  and  once  got 
so  near  to  the  other  shore  that  I  was  sure  we 
would  make  it ;  but  the  picket  boats  from  the 
fleet  showed  uj),  and  we  had  to  dig  out.  They 
were  on  hand  every  time,  and  you  ought  to 
have  heard  Henderson  cuss.  He  declared  that 
one  or  the  other  of  his  passengers  was  a  Jonah, 
and  he  had  a  notion  to  chuck  us  both  over- 
board so  as  to  be  sure  he  got  the  right  one." 

"It  was  you,  Dick.  Who  was  the  other 
passenger? " 

"I  don't  know  any  more  about  him  now 
than  I  did  when  I  first  saw  him.  When  we 
gave  up  trying  on  the  first  night  and  went 
back  to  the  house,  he  shut  himself  in  his 
room,  and  I  never  saw  him  till  Ave  went  out  on 
the  second  night  to  try  it  over  again,  No 
doubt  he  was  a  high-up  oflicer  with  important 
j)apers  in  his  pockets." 

"  Of  course  the  picket  boats  opened  fire  on 
you." 

"Of  course  they  didn't,  for  we  saw  or  heard 
them  in  time  to  dodge  out  of  their  way.  One 
of  them  passed  so  close  to  us  that  we  could 
see,  dark  as  it  was,  that  she  pulled  six  oars  on 

29 


450  RODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

a  side.  If  she'd  seen  us  or  heard  us  breathe, 
she  would  have  had  us  sure." 

"  Go  on.  What  did  you  do  on  the  night  I 
left  you?" 

"Nothing.  We  walked  about  a  mile  to 
where  a  little  bay  made  into  the  bank  from 
the  river,  and  there  we  found  a  skiff  with  j)iles 
of  something  in  the  bow  and  stern  that  I  took 
to  be  the  precious  mail-bags  which  Mr.  Martin 
said  Henderson  was  going  to  pick  up.  When 
we  got  in  there  was  barely  room  for  Hender- 
son to  work  the  oars,  and  I  didn't  wonder  that 
he  growled  so  about  taking  me  over." 

"  How  did  you  come  home  ?  " 

"Well,  when  we  came  back  after  making 
the  sixth  attempt,  and  Henderson  got  mad 
and  told  me  to  clear  out  and  never  let  him  put 
eyes  on  me  again  (I  noticed  that  he  didn't  say 
a  word  to  the  other  fellow,  and  that's  what 
makes  me  think  that  he  was  an  officer  whom 
Henderson  had  to  take  whether  he  wanted  to 
or  not),  I  took  him  at  his  word  and  put  for 
Mr.  Turnbull's.  That  gentleman  was  kind 
enough  to  hitch  up  a  team  and  take  me  to 
your  father's,  and   your   father   brought  me 


CONCLUSION.  451 

here,  to  find  you  gone.  You've  been  gone 
three  nights,  and  I  want  to  know  what  you 
mean  by  such  work." 

"I've  been  to  Camp  Pinckney  to  make 
arrangements  for  Tom  Randolph  and  his 
Home  Guards  to  go  into  the  army,"  replied 
Rodney,  adding  that  he  had  written  to  the 
Governor,  laying  the  blame  for  the  bombard- 
ment of  Baton  Rouge  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  Home  Guards,  and  giving  such  other  inci- 
dents in  their  history  as  he  thought  would 
attract  the  attention  of  the  authorities  and 
induce  them  to  do  something  ;  but  General 
Ruggles  had  promised  to  attend  to  the  matter 
himself. 

"Of  course  Captain  Randolph  will  be  very 
much  obliged  to  you  when  he  hears  of  it," 
observed  Dick. 

"He  has  nobody  to  thank  but  himself,  and 
since  I  have  heard  what  those  escaped  pris- 
oners had  to  say  about  Home  Guards,  I  wish 
every  one  of  them  could  be  forced  into  the 
army.  Now  you've  got  to  stay  with  me  until 
the  war  is  ended  one  way  or  the  other,  haven't 
you?" 


452  EODNEY,  THE   OVEESEER. 

"  Not  much.  I'm  going  up  to  Port  Hudson 
to  try  it  again,  if  you  will  sliow  me  the  way  ; 
and  you  ought  to  have  heard  Henderson  rip 
and  snort  because  I  didn't  go  there  in  the  first 
place  without  troubling  him.  But  you  see  I 
didn't  know  that  I  could,  and  you  didn't 
either.  If  I  can  take  a  boat  from  Port  Hudson 
up  Red  River  to  Alexandria,  or  better  yet,  up 
Black  River  to  Monroe,  I  shall  save  miles  of 
horseback  travel." 

"And  run  the  risk  of  being  captured  by 
gunboats  every  step  of  the  way,"  added  Rod- 
ney.    "  But  I  suppose  I'll  have  to  go." 

And  he  did  the  very  next  morning.  This 
time  there  was  no  trouble  about  it,  for  when 
the  steamer  New  Era^  which  was  regularly 
emj)loyed  in  bringing  army  supplies  from  the 
Red  River  country,  moved  out  from  her  land- 
ing at  Port  Hudson  bound  for  Monroe,  she 
carried  Dick  Graham  with  her.  The  night 
was  as  dark  as  a  pocket,  but  the  lonely  Rod- 
ney kept  watch  on  the  bank  as  '  long  as  a 
single  spark  could  be  seen  coming  out  of  her 
smokestacks,  and  even  lingered  about  the 
place  for  two  or  three  days,  almost  hoping 


CONCLUSIOT^.  453 

that  some  Union  gunboat  would  send  a  sliot 
across  her  bows  and  drive  her  back;  but  when 
the  soldiers  assured  him  that  she  must  have 
gone  through  safely  or  else  she  would  have  re- 
turned within  a  few  hours  of  her  departure, 
he  realized  that  the  long  delayed  separation 
had  come  at  last,  and  turned  his  face  sorrow- 
fully homeward. 

He  went  directly  to  his  father's  house  to 
report  the  success  of  his  undertaking,  and 
learned  that  Mooreville  had  been  thrown  into 
a  state  of  great  excitement  during  his  absence. 
No  one  had  seen  or  heard  of  Captain  Roach 
since  Breckenridge  made  his  fruitless  attempt 
to  take  the  city,  but  his  office  was  occupied 
by  a  grizzly  veteran,  avIio  hardly  gave  himself 
time  to  sit  down  in  Captain  Roach's  chair  be- 
fore declaring  that  he  hadn't  come  thereto 
stand  nonsense  from  anybody,  and  that  every- 
one liable  to  military  duty.  Home  Guards  and 
all,  must  make  tracks  for  Camp  Pinckney 
or  be  dragged  there  by  the  neck.  It  didn't 
make  the  least  difference  to  him  how  they 
went,  but  they  must  go  ;  they  might  be  sure 
of  that.     He  brought  fifty  veterans  with  him 


454  RODl^EY,  THE   OVERSEER. 

to  back  him  up,  and  in  less  than  twenty-four 
hours  after  taking  possession  of  the  ofl5ce, 
sent  off  forty-five  conscripts,  two-thirds  of 
whom  were  Home  Guards. 

"  Mrs.  Randolph  tried  the  same  game  witli 
Major  Morgan,  that's  the  new  man's  name, 
that  she  tried  with  so  much  success  with  Cap- 
tain Roach,"  said  Mr.  Gray  with  a  laugh. 
"But  it  didn't  work.  The  major  sent  back 
word  that  he  had  no  time  to  go  about  visiting 
a^d  eating  dinners,  and  Tom  was  given  his 
choice  between  reporting  at  the  camp  volun- 
tarily or  being  sent  there  under  guard.  It's 
the  best  thing  that  was  ever  done  for  this 
community." 

Rodney  wanted  to  shout,  but  instead  of 
doing  that  he  got  on  his  horse  and  rode 
down  to  call  on  Major  Morgan.  He  didn't 
find  the  office  filled  with  loafers,  as  it  had 
been  in  Captain  Roach's  time,  but  there 
were  a  few  bronzed  fellows  standing  about 
who  remembered  seeing  Rodney  at  the 
camp,  and  bowed  to  him  as  he  came  in. 
The  major  remembered  him  too,  and  said, 
as  he  gave  the  boy's  hand  one  short,  quick 


CONCLUSION.  .  455 

jerk,  that  was  doubtless  intended  for  a 
shake : 

"  There's  material  enough  here  to  form  the 
finest  kind  of  a  battalion.  Why  don't  you 
apply  for  a  commission  and  go  out  with  it  ? 
You've  had  rest  enough  by  this  time." 

"Because  I  don't  wish  to  command  con- 
scripts," replied  Rodney,  ignoring  the  fact  that 
half  the  soldiers  in  the  Confederate  armies 
were  conscripts  and  nothing  else,  being  held 
to  service  against  their  will.  "Besides,  lam 
an  overseer  now,  and  I  like  it  better  than 
fighting." 

But  Rodney  could  not  keep  out  of  trouble 
as  easily  as  he  kept  out  of  the  army,  nor  did 
Major  Morgan  succeed  in  sending  all  Tom 
Randolph's  Home  Guards  to  Camp  Pinckney, 
Some  of  them,  Lieutenants  Lambert  and  Mose- 
ley  among  the  rest,  took  to  the  woods,  and  be- 
came freebooters  to  all  intents  and  purposes. 
Whether  these  worthies  knew  or  suspected 
that  he  had  a  hand  in  the  breaking  up  of 
their  organization  Rodney  never  learned  ;  but 
he  was  quickly  made  aware  that  they  did  not 
intend  he  should  see  a  moment's  peace  if  they 


450  IIODNEY,  THE   OVERSEER, 

could  lielp  it.  They  eitlier  found  the  cotton 
of  which  we  have  spoken,  or  else  somebody 
put  them  on  the  track  of  it ;  and  the  efforts 
they  made  to  destroy  it,  as  well  as  the  counter 
efforts  made  by  Rodney  Gray  and  his  two 
Union  cousins  to  protect  it,  shall  be  described 
in  the  concluding  volume  of  this  series,  which 
will  be  entitled  "  Sailor  Jack,  the  Trader." 


THE  end. 


The 

Famous 

Castlemon 

Books. 

BY 

Harry 
Castlemon. 


Specimen  Cover  ol  the  Gunboat 
Series. 

No  author  of  the  present  day  has  become  a  greater  favorite  with  boys  than 
"Harry  Castlemon;  "  every  book  by  him  is  sure  to  meet  with  hearty  re- 
ception by  young  readers  generally.  H.s  naturalness  and  vivacity  lead  his 
readers  trom  page  to  page  with  breathless  interest,  and  when  one  volume  is 
finished  the  fascinated  reader,  like  Oliver  Twist,  asks  "  for  more." 

•»*Any  volume  sold  separ.;tely. 


OUNBOAT  SERIES,      By  Harry  Castlemon.      6 
vols.,  i2mo.     Fully  illustrated.     Cloth,  extra,  printed 

in  colors.     In  box ^7  So 

Frank,  the  T'oung  Naturalist i  25 

Frank  in  the  Woods i  25 

Frank  on  the  Prairie i  25 

Frank  on  a  Qunboat i  25 

Frank  before  Vicksbnrg \  25 

Frank  on  the  Lo'wer  Mississippi    ......  i  25 


2  Porter  &  coates's  popular  juveniles. 

GO  AHEAD  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon.  3 
vols.,  l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

Go  Ahead ;  or,  The  Fisher  Boy's  Motto    ......       I   25 

No  Moss ;  or.  The  Career  of  a  Rolling  Stone  ....      l  25 

Toxa  Ne'wcombe  ;  or.  The  Boy  of  Bad  Habits     .    .       i  25 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box $3  75 

Frank  at  Don  Carlos'  Rancho i  25 

Frank  among  the   Rancheros i  25 

Frank  in  the  Mountains i  25 

SPORTSMAN'S  CLUB  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  3  vols.,  i2mo.  I'uUy  illustrated.  Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box Ji!53  75 

The   Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Saddle  ....      i  25 

The  Sportsman's  Club  Afloat i  25 

The  Sportsman's  Club  among  the  Trappers  .      i  25 

FRANK  NELSON  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castle- 
mon. 3  vols.  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra, 
printed  in  colors.     In  box $3  75 

Snovred  Up  ;  or,  The  Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Mts.  .      i  25 

Frank  Nelson  in  the  Forecastle  ;  or.  The  Sports- 
man's Club  among  the  Whalers I  25 

The  Boy  Traders  ;  or,  The  Sportsman's  Club  among 

the  Boers i  25 

BOY  TRAPPER  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box $3  7S 

The  Buried  Treasure  ;   or,  Old  Jordan's  "  Haunt "     i  25 

The   Boy  Trapper ;  or.  How  Dave  Filled  the  Order .      i  25 

The  Medl  Carrier i  25 


PORTER    &    COATES'S    POPULAR    JUVENILES.  $ 

ROUGHING  IT  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

George  in  Camp  ;  or,  Life  on  the  Plains i  25 

George  at  the  'Wheel ;  cr.  Life  in  a  Pilot  House  .      i  25 

George  at  the  Fort ;  or,  Life  Among  the  Soldiers  .       i  25 

ROD  AND  GUN  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
3  vols.,  l2mo.  Fully  illMstiated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed 
in  colors.     In  box 1^3  75 

Don  Gordon's  Shooting  Box i  25 

Rod  and  Gun i  25 

The  Young  "Wild  Fowlers i  25 

FOREST  AND  STREAM  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  3  vols.,  i2mo.  P'ully  illustrated.  Cloth, 
extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box ^3  75 

Joe  "Wayring  at  Home  ;  or,  Story  of  a  Fly  Rod    .      i  25 

Snagged  and  Sunk  ;  or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Can- 
vas Canoe I  25 

Steel  Horse ;  or.  The  Rambles  of  a  Eicycle  ....      i  25 

WAR  SERIES.  By  Hairy  Castlemon,  4  vols., 
l2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra,  printed  in 
colors.     In  box 5  oo 

True  to  his  Colors i  25 

Rodney,  the  Partisan i  25 

Marcy,  the  Blockade  Runner i  25 

Marcy,  the  Refugee i  25 

OUR  FELLOWS ;  or.  Skirmishes  with  the  Swamp 
Dragoons.  By  Harry  Castlemon.  i6mo.  Fully  illus- 
trated.   Cloth,  extra 1  25 


Alger's 

Renowned 

Books. 

BY 

Horatio 

LGER,  Jr. 


Specimen  Cover  of  the  Ragged 
Dick  Series. 


Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  has  attained  distinction  as  one  of  the  most  popular 
riters  of  boolcs  for  boys,  and  the  following  list  comprises  all  of  his  best 


writers 
books 
»*«  Any  volume  sold  separately. 


RAGGED  DICK  SERIES.  By  Horatio  Alger, 
Jr.  6  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  extra, 
printed  in  colors.     In  box $7  SO 

Ragged  Dick  ;  or.  Street  Life  in  New  York    ....       i  25 

Fame   and   Fortune ;   or.  The  Progress  of  Richard 

Hunter I   25 

Mark,  the  Match  Boy ;  or,  Richard  Hunter's  Ward     i  25 

Rough  and  Ready ;  or.  Life  among  the  New  York 

Newsboys i  25 

Ben,  the  Luggage  Boy  ;  or,  Among  the  Wharves    .      i  25 

Rufus   and   Rose ;   or,  the   Fortunes  of  Rough  and 

Ready l  25 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES.  (First  Series.) 
By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  4  vols.,  i2mo.  Fully  illus- 
trated.    Cloth,  extra,  printed  in  colors.     In  box  ...      5  00 

(4) 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 
461 


